


His Favorite Shade of Blue

by LunarisLux



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gruvia - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2020-06-02 02:45:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 61,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19432309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunarisLux/pseuds/LunarisLux
Summary: Juvia wakes up feeling different one morning, off her usual routine. She finds herself deep in thought about the state of her relationship (or lack there of) with Gray. She knows she loves him, but the sting of his constant rejection has left a lasting mark. Juvia decides to distance herself from him so that she has some time to think. After deciding to take a long distance solo job, she sets out east for two weeks on her own.  Gray quickly takes notice that she's hightailing it out of town, and doesn't understand why.





	1. Oh Thine Icy Heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is another work that was previously posted on FF.net. I never finished this story, but would really like to. Again I'm hoping that by posting in a new medium, I'll find some inspiration again. I always felt there needed to be something written that reflected Juvia's feelings of rejection from Gray, and I just plain wanted to write some Gruvia goodness. A little angsty at first, but there will be a happy ending for sure.

It seemed like any other day. Juvia woke up at exactly 6 a.m., got out of bed, and did her morning stretches. She felt a bit different today, as though she was a bit off her routine. However, she carried on like usual. She went to the bathroom to shower and take care of her daily grooming and personal routine. After dressing and readying herself for the day, she made herself a bit of breakfast in the Fairy Hills kitchen and ate alone, as she was usually the first one up and about. She didn’t really mind. She liked the quiet and solitude. Of course, she enjoyed the company of the other girls that lived at Fairy Hills as well. They were all her friends and like family to her. The only real family she had known since her childhood. But with the loud and raucous nature of the Fairy Tail guild, a few moments of peaceful silence was welcomed, especially in the early morning hours. 

But that wasn’t the only reason she liked to be up early. Being up early meant that she could be one of the first to the guild and this bettered her chances at seeing Gray-sama as soon as he showed up at the guild for the day. Some days she waited near his house on the chance that she might “meet him along the way” and join him on his walk to the guild. She tried to not do that _too_ often as it might look a bit suspicious if she did, but Juvia just couldn’t help it. She was desperately, hopelessly, madly in love with her frosty hunk of a sweetheart, Gray Fullbuster! He was the iced apple of her eye, and then some. To say that she longed for him was a severe understatement. Some of her thoughts and fantasies of here would be deemed far too inappropriate for younger audiences. It made her blush and flushed just thinking about it.

Though as much as she showered him with her affections, Gray-sama rarely even spared her a glance. Sure they were friends. He had come to her aid many times in battle, and they had worked together well, performing Unison Raids at pivotal moments. They worked well as a team. Their magic complemented one another, as did their natures. Both had a cool and calm demeanor. Juvia knew that Gray-sama was a very guarded person with a lot of pain and torment in his past, and all she wished to do was show him the love he deserved. Alas, he shunned her attempts over and again. This never stopped her though. She kept hoping that someday….

“Someday…” she sighed woefully, looking down into the last bit of her oatmeal. But what if he never returned her feelings? What if they were to never be together and her love for him would always be unrequited? She sat for a moment, feeling that familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach. That aching sadness that haunted her for so many years and followed her wherever she went. Juvia suddenly felt cold and a blanket of darkness started to envelop her, drowning out all light and happiness around her. She could no longer feel the warmth of the sunlight streaming through the kitchen window or hear the cheerful tune of the birds chirping outside. She could no longer feel the love that emanated from the place around her from every person that lived there. It started to consume her and outside the sky started to grow dark and cloudy. 

“Hey Juvia… are you okay?” a familiar voice asked, shaking her out of her dark state. Her head snapped up and she saw the innocent face of young Wendy, the sky dragonslayer. The young bluenette looked at her with great concern, her head cocked to one side. Juvia forced a smile to her lips. 

“Oh hello Wendy, good morning. Yes, I’m fine thank you. I was just lost in thought,” Juvia said hurriedly. “I guess I should finish my breakfast before it gets ice cold.” She finished with a little laugh to try and reassure Wendy that she was fine. Wendy joined her in the laugh and smiled brightly, nodding. 

“I’m really glad, Juvia! You looked a little sad, and I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Wendy said, smiling still. 

“Oh, well I did think of something that made me a bit sad, but I’ll be fine. I promise,” the water mage reassured the young dragonslayer. 

“Well if you’re ever sad and you need a friend, please don’t hesitate to come to me! I might be young and I may not have all the answers, but I’ll do whatever I can to help you, okay Juvia? I promise!” Wendy said brightly, reaching across the counter and patting Juvia’s hand. 

Now Juvia was smiling sincerely, her heart warmed and all traces of sadness and cold banished from her heart. This was why she loved Fairy Tail so much. The people really were her friends, her family. There were people like young Wendy that made her feel wanted and loved. Even when Gray-sama did not…

“I better go find Carla! We were going to see about going on a few simple jobs today! Enjoy the rest of your breakfast Juvia!” Wendy said, giving a little wave and exiting the kitchen. Juvia smiled and waved back as the young girl left. She quickly finished up her oatmeal and cleaned up her dishes and then returned to her room. After gathering her things, she set off out of Fairy Hills and headed toward the guild hall. 

As she walked to the guildhall she found herself deep in the thought, pondering the many aspects of her life. Her thoughts gravitated toward her childhood and the uncle that had raised her after her parents’ accident and then of her parents themselves. She had been so young when they died, but she still remembered them. They had loved her, she thought. Though all through her childhood the rain had followed her. It wasn’t until Fairy Tail that she found light and the sun… until she met Gray-sama. When she found warmth and happiness. A reason to smile and be happy. This was why she couldn’t help but love him. He had shown her a whole new world. And he didn’t even realize that. But maybe she did come on too strong. Perhaps she needed to give him some space for a change… Maybe if she gave him some space he might be more likely to willingly spent time with her. She wasn’t sure if that was true, but she had tried nearly every other approach. If anything, she was feeling a bit on the downside today and wasn’t quite up for the constant rejection. But she did hope she could show him someday… ah.. Someday. She smiled sadly to herself. Looking up, she realized she had reached the guildhall. Sighing a little, she proceeded to enter the guild, just as she usually did. 

Once inside, Juvia made her way to the table she usually sat at and set down her things. She went over to the bar where Mira was already at work, serving up food and drinks to the early risers at the guild. “Good morning Juvia! Bright and early, as always!” Mira greeted her warmly, smiling genuinely. “Can I get you anything?” 

Juvia smiled and gave a little nod. “A pot of herbal tea with some lemon wedges if you could, Mirajane. I would really appreciate it, thank you.” 

“Coming right up!” The takeover mage disappeared behind the bar into the kitchen and Juvia returned to her seat. She pulled her latest knitting project from her bag. It had become a hobby ever since she had knitted Gray-sama a scarf as a gift for their 413th day anniversary. Currently she was working on several hats, scarves and mittens that would serve as Christmas gifts for various members of Fairy Tail. Her current project was Erza’s scarf. It was a brilliant scarlet red with delicate lines of royal purple through it. It was bold and eye catching just like the mage herself, but the material was soft, warm, and comforting, also much like Erza. She had come to quite enjoy knitting. She would work on this until Gajeel got to the guild and then she would see if he wanted to take on a job for the day. He was who she most often teamed up with these days. 

Soon after Mirajane showed up with her pot of tea and lemon wedges, along with a tea cup and saucer. She included some tea biscuits to go with the tea. Juvia smiled and thanked her and Mira gave her a little wink and a friendly smile. This was a pretty regular routine, as Juvia spent quite a lot of time at the guild in the mornings. She was feeling particularly solemn and quiet this morning, however. Something about the day had her this way, for some reason.. She couldn’t really put her finger on it. Sighing and shrugging her shoulders, Juvia decided to set to work on knitting Erza’s scarf and distract herself from this strange feeling. Surely Gray would be coming along soon and this feeling would soon dissipate. 

A short while later she heard a commotion at the guildhall entrance and looked up to see Natsu and Lucy along with the blue exceed, Happy. Natsu was carrying on and being loud and boisterous, as per usual. Lucy followed behind, sighing and shaking her head. She was dressed in her usual revealing clothing. Juvia tensed up a bit at the sight of her. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Lucy. She was actually quite fond of the blonde celestial mage. But someone as good looking and talented as she was automatically considered a love rival for her dear Gray-sama’s affections. Not to mention they were on the same team and often spent a great deal of time together. Juvia’s dark blue eyes narrowed a bit, and then she shook herself. The momentary jealousy passed. She had these moments, but they went as quickly as they came. Juvia was quite beautiful in her own right, but she never saw this. She always felt she paled in comparison to other girls.

She watched them for a few moments, taking in their interactions. Lucy often appeared annoyed by Natsu’s antics, and he was quick to tease and pester her. But there were those little moments when no one was watching that they had sweet exchanges. It was well known in the guild that they shared special feelings for one another. She had witnessed them risk their lives for one another time and time again. They would do anything for one another. That kind of love was rare. That was the way she felt about Gray-sama.

Even now she saw Natsu stuffing his face and watched Lucy shake her head and scold him, but then reach to wipe his mouth with a napkin, the dragonslayer captured her hand and kissed her fingers. The blonde blushed brightly and giggled, touching his nose with a finger before withdrawing her hand. Juvia sighed enviously. How badly she wanted to have such exchanges with Gray-sama… she longed for it. But if she even attempted to get close to him like that, he would just think she was being “weird” or “creepy”.

The water mage sighed again and went back to her knitting, her body stiffened as she thought of all the times that Gray-sama had called her things like that. It made her a little angry. Okay, so she was a _little_ over the top sometimes, but she was just being HONEST with her feelings right?? Or maybe she really was just some crazy psycho stalker… She put down the scarf and stopped to pour herself a cup of tea, then squeezing in a lemon wedge. Bringing the piping hot tea to her lips, she blew on it to cool it a bit. As she coaxed the tea into cooling, she thought very seriously about something and contemplated a very serious matter that would affect her entire future. She gingerly tested to tea to see if it was cool enough to drink. 

As she drank, she contemplated. Would this be in her best interest? Perhaps it would be. It might make her life in the guild easier. And she could concentrate on work more readily. This would also allow her to train and become stronger. Or perhaps she would pick up another hobby or two. There were countless possibilities. 

That was it. She was going to do it. She was going to distance herself from Gray-sama… at least for now. It broke her heart to do it, but at least for the time being… she would avoid him and keep her contact with him minimal. The best thing to do would be to take on a job that would take her out of town for awhile. She hadn’t seen Gajeel yet, so she had no idea if he was really up for a long trip out of town. Juvia frowned a bit, already gathering that such would not be the case as that would be several days away from his favorite person, a certain blue haired solid script mage. The two had grown especially close in the past months and had become an official couple after the war with Alvarez. So that either meant he wouldn’t go at all, or she would be coming along with them. And as much as she liked Levy, the last thing she needed was to be the third wheel on a trip with a couple.

“Juvia go solo this time,” she murmured to herself. “The time alone might do me some good.” And with that she got up and went over to the job request board to take a look at the available jobs. 

Juvia looked over the jobs for a long while until she came across one that was looking for the help of a wizard who specialized in water magic. The farmers in a small Eastern town were having trouble irrigating their fields and needed the help of a water mage to install and route a magically run water system and replenish their crops. “That sounds right up my alley!” she said brightly, taking the flier from the board and bringing over to the bar to Mira. 

Mirajane noticed Juvia approaching the bar with a job flier in her hand and cocked her head curiously. “Find a job Juvia?” she asked. The water mage smiled and nodded vigorously. 

“Yes I’d like to take this job please, Mirajane. Juvia will be leaving as soon as possible. Juvia must go back to Fairy Hills and pack some things first. It looks like the job should take about two weeks.” Juvia explained, pointing to the details on the flier. Mira nodded as Juvia spoke, looking at the flier then at the azured haired young woman. 

“So you’re going solo on this one? Are you sure about this?” Mira asked with a note of concern. The job didn’t sound particularly dangerous, but it was for an extended period, and Juvia didn’t usually go off on her own for that long. But she nodded firmly, looking determined, her mind made up.

“Yes, Juvia will take this job alone. This is the best thing for me right now.” she said quietly, nodding again firmly. Mirajane looked at her again, noticing a far off look in Juvia’s eyes. She almost looked sad, pained. But the takeover mage didn’t want to pry. Obviously the water mage was dealing with something personal and it wasn’t Mira’s place to pry.

“Okay Juvia, sure thing,” she said with a smile. “I’ll let the requestor know that you will be on the way. Just be sure to check back in before you leave okay? I’ll have some information for you before you go.” Juvia nodded and turned to return to her table and gather her things. After gathering her things she hurried out of the guild and headed straight for Fairy Hills, not even noticing who she passed on her way out the door.

****

Just as he was entering the guild, a blur of blue pushed past him and hurried out onto the street. He was about to balk at the person for being in such a rush until he noticed that it was Juvia. She seemed to be in a big hurry that she hadn’t even noticed him when she went by. Usually she clung to him the moment she laid eyes on him in the morning. He was used to being smothered by her affections first thing in the morning and then repeatedly throughout the day, so long as he was within arms reach of her. It was a little tiring, but he was pretty accustomed to it. 

“Huh, that’s weird. Wonder what’s up with her,” he mumbled to himself, shrugging it off as he entered the guild. As soon as he was through the door he was greeted by a fall from ol’ flame brains himself. 

“HEY! ICE PRINCESS! WHAT’S WITH THAT LOOK ON YOUR FACE?!”

Gray sighed to himself. Of course Natsu was going to start with him first thing in the morning. The meathead had nothing better to do. Of course, he could be the bigger man and ignore him. He could be more mature and not play to the taunts and teases. He _could_ … but **would** he? 

“Listen up ash for brains, why don’t you mind your damn business for once!” he yelled back already stripping off his jacket as he walked into the guild, readying himself for a brawl, walking toward the table Natsu and Lucy were currently occupying. Natsu stood up, eyes narrowed and fists already blazing.

“Oh yeah ice prick?! You wanna make something of it?!” the dragonslayer spat at the ice wizard, amped and ready for a fight. Gray turned to the blonde wizard sitting at the table, watching the scene unfold.

“Sorry Lucy, but I’m gonna have to teach your boyfriend here some manners.” he said, cracking a smile and then turning back to Natsu. “Alright, let’s go flame boy!”

“You guyyyyys! Do you have do this EVERY morning?!? Give it a rest already!” Lucy whined, sighing and shaking her head, exasperated.

“Don’t worry Luce! I’ll show him who’s boss!” Natsu said pounding his flaming fists together. “I’m all fired up now!” 

“YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING! NOW COOL YOUR JETS!” rang out an ominous voice from the steps of the guildhall entrance. That voice belonged to none other than the Queen of the Fairies, Titania Erza Scarlet, the strongest female wizard in all of Fairy Tail, and someone that both young men feared with their very lives. Both Natsu and Gray stopped mid-fighting stance and didn’t move another muscle, their fight stopped before it could start. They knew better than to go against Erza. If they did, they would pay for it a thousand fold, and that just wasn’t worth the pain that would follow.

Natsu grumbled and returned to his table with Lucy and proceeded to recommence stuffing his face and Gray shrugged it off. “Whatever. I have better things to do than fight flame brain anyway,” he mumbled, tossing his jacket onto a nearby bench. Just then his stomach grumbled, making him fully aware of his hunger. _Guess I should grab some grub._

He wandered up to the bar and slid onto a stool, picking up one of the menus that sat just beyond the bartop. He was already pretty familiar with the menu, but he browsed it for a minute anyway. As he browsed it, his mind wandered to Juvia and his brush with her this morning. He couldn’t help but be a little bothered by it. It was really out of character for her to be rushing out of the guild like that, and especially not even saying hello to him. It made him sound a little conceited, but really it just concerned him, leaving him to believe that maybe something was wrong. After a few minutes Mirajane made her way over to him.

“Morning Gray. Figure out what you want today?” she greeted him, an order pad in hand, smiling at him brightly as usual. He gave her a partial smile and nodded.

“Morning Mira. Yeah I’ll have a western omelette, bacon, potatoes and some toast. And some coffee, black. Thanks,” he read off, handing her back the menu after she had taken down his order. She smiled again and nodded.

“Alright, this should be up shortly. I’ll get you your coffee now/” 

Gray sat idle for a few minutes while he waited for Mirajane to come back with his coffee, looking around the guild. He saw guild members filtering in slowly, some standing at the job board, others sidling up the bar to order food and drink like he was. Cana was already getting started on drinking for the day. Elfman was going on about being a MAN, and the O’Connells were having a family breakfast in the distance. He found himself thinking about Juvia again. It felt weird not having her there. Just then Mira resurfaced and set a coffee cup down in front of him and poured black coffee into his cup.

“There ya go! Your food will be out soon!” she said brightly, smiling at him and then turning to go back to the kitchen. 

“Thanks a lot. Say, Mira..” he said, calling after her. 

The white haired beauty turned back around and looked at him curiously, her head cocked to one side. “What’s up Gray?”

“It’s nothing… just,” he cleared his throat. “Just this morning, on my way in, I noticed Juvia rushing out of here really fast and she didn’t even say anything to me. It just seemed kinda weird. Do you know if she was upset about something?” 

Mira’s expression grew more serious and she stepped a bit closer to Gray, lowering her voice a little. “Well, I’m not sure what’s going on with her, but it seems like something is up. She look a solo job this morning. It’s pretty far away and she’ll be gone for at least two weeks. Honestly, I was a little concerned considering she’s never really gone off like this before, but I didn’t want to pry,” Mira explained. 

Gray’s brow furrowed and his mouth set into a frown. A solo job? For two weeks? That didn’t sound like Juvia at all. Something was definitely up with her. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but there must be something behind it. Since she wasn’t there for him to ask her, and he couldn’t just very well waltz into Fairy Hills, he had to look for his next best source. Then, with a stroke of luck he heard the familiar voice of Levy McGarden and where the solid script mage was, her metal head dragonslayer boyfriend wouldn’t be far behind. The Iron Dragonslayer was close friends with Juvia and might have some clue as to what was going on with her. Gray got up from his seat and made his way over to the couple.

“Oh, hey Gray! What’s up?” Levy said, greeting him warmly with a wave and a smile. He returned her smile and gave her a nod. He and Levy had known each other since they were kids and had grown up together in the guild, They had always had a good rapport. 

“Morning Levy. Actually, I was hoping to talk to talk to Gajeel for a minute,” he said, looking to the iron dragonslayer. Gajeel quirked up an eyebrow and scowled at him. 

“Yeah? What do you want, ice boy?” he grumbled “Bit early in the morning to be making small talk, if ya ask me.” 

“ _Gajeel_ …” said Levy, sounding exasperated. 

The black haired mage sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. What’s up?”

Gray furrowed his brow and cleared his throat. “Do you think we could talk alone?” 

“Anything you got to say to me you can say in front of my woman,” Gajeel grumbled. Levy sighed and rolled her eyes, then shaking her head. She obviously didn’t take well to being called his ‘woman’. 

Gray shrugged and grimaced “Alright then. Well, I was just wondering if you knew if something was up with Juvia. She left here this morning in a huge hurry and she didn’t even say anything as she passed me. And then Mira told me she took some two week solo job in some far off remote town. I thought if anyone knew what was up, it might be you.”

Levy frowned a little and tilted her head. “She seemed fine last night at dinner. We all ordered pizza last night and ate in the communal dining room. She was acting like her usual self.”

Gajeel shrugged and shook his head. “If something is bothering Rain Woman I’m not aware of it. Not that it would be any of your damn business, Ice Boy. But I better not find out you did something to upset her or you and me will be havin’ a little talk, you got that?” The dragonslayer eyed him warningly, his crimson eyes boring holes into the ice mage. 

Gray scowled and waved him off. “Whatever, man. I was just asking if you knew anything, but obviously you don’t so never mind. Forget I said anything..” Gray said, scoffing as he turned away and went back to his seat at the bar. 

Just as he got back, Mira brought his food and he distracted himself by eating, even though he had lost his appetite by now. If Gajeel didn’t know what was up, then there was little chance that he would find out what was going on before she took off on this two week mission. And Levy had said that Juvia had been acting perfectly normal the night before. So whatever had happened must have occurred that morning. But what was it? Did it have anything to do with him? But how could it? He hadn’t even seen her yet that day. All he knew was that he was oddly worried about her. She might drive him crazy with obsessive affections and professions of love, but he still cared about her. She was his friend, his nakama. Even beyond that, there was something…. special… about her. They had a special little something between them that he had never quite taken the time to explore.. Not yet at least. But his main concern was figuring out what the hell was going on with her now. He wasn’t sure why, but he had a really bad feeling about this situation. He ate his breakfast, still fixated on the situation.

****

Juvia had been packing her bags with everything she would need for a two week stay, and also packed a bit extra in case the job ran over. She tried to pack for any type of weather situation so that she might be prepared for anything to come. The water mage found herself to be a bit nervous, as this was her first big solo job. Even when she with Phantom Lord, she always worked with the Element Four, and had also worked closely with Gajeel. And she continued to work closely with Gajeel and other wizards in Fairy Tail. She wasn’t used to working on her own. But this would be good for her. And it would give her time to clear her head.

Checking over her bags again, she was fairly certain that she had everything she needed. Plenty of clothes, toiletries. The flier said that basic room and board would be provided as part of the job. That was a relief, at least. She had camped out in the wilderness when necessary, but it definitely was not her preference. Though from the job description, it sounded like the surroundings were pretty rural. That was fine with her, though. Some fresh country air would be nice. And some good hard work would be just the thing to get her mind off of the one thing that she was trying to escape from- Gray-sama.

She almost felt a little guilty thinking like that. It wasn’t as though he really did something wrong. Not directly, anyway. Juvia simply found herself at a place that she couldn’t deal with his hot and cold nature with her any longer. And while she could never seen herself not loving him, she needed some time to herself to think and reassess her life. Perhaps even come to terms with the fact that it might very well be that she and Gray-sama may never be…. 

Closing up her bag, she gathered her things and loaded them onto a small travel trolley and headed out the door, out and down the hill toward the road. She needed to stop back by the guild to get the job information Mirajane had mentioned earlier. After that she would head to the train station straight away and begin her journey. As she walked along the road, she thought about the job and wondered what the town would be like. She had never been to this particular area of Fiore and knew very little about it. What she did know was that some of the towns in the area were fairly knew settlements, so there were stretches of miles and miles without civilization. She hoped that she would be able to find transportation all the way to her destination. 

After a short while she reached the guild and pulled her luggage trolley up behind her and into the guild, through the heavy wooden doors. Things were a lot more lively now, several members having surfaced for the day. There were people eating, drinking and socializing. She could see several of her friends partaking is merriment, talking with each other and laughing. Normally Juvia would be inclined to join them, but today, she just wanted to get the information from Mira and get out as soon as possible. She made her way through the chaos to the end of the bar and motioned to Mirajane, who was occupied with serving up drinks to other members. Thankfully, she had Lisanna close by to help her.

“Hold on Juvia! I’ll go grab the paperwork from the office and I’ll be right with you okay?” Mira called to her, giving her a little wave before exiting the bar area and going upstairs where the office area was. Juvia nodded and smiled at her. Suddenly she felt someone staring at her and a cool feeling came over her. Cool like ice… She looked up and around and then her eyes connected with his gaze. He was staring right at her. 

“Gray-sama…” she whispered to herself. She wanted so much to go to him. To fling herself at him as she usually did, to profess her undying love and remind him of her eternal devotion to him. But she stayed rooted in her spot and instead broke their shared gaze and looked away. Juvia looked down at her hands, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, fidgeting nervously. She could feel him still staring at her. Why was he staring?? What was his sudden interest in her?? She saw him get up from his seat out of the corner of her eye and start to approach her. 

“Hey Juvia-” he began but he was quickly cut off by Mira who suddenly resurfaced with Juvia’s paperwork. Juvia rushed over to meet Mira at the foot of the stairs, taking the paperwork from her, avoiding any further eye contact with Gray. 

“There you go Juvia. If you have any further questions, your answers should either be there or you’ll have to inquire at the job site. They included a map and travel instructions. Good luck on your trip! Be safe and we’ll see you soon!” Mira said, smiling genuinely.

Juvia smiled and nodded thanking Mira then excusing herself. She grabbed a hold of her luggage trolley and rushed off toward the door, Gray calling after her again. Before she could reach the door, she was stopped by Gajeel. 

“Ey, Juvia!” the iron dragonslayer grunted. “Hold up a minute!” 

“Gajeel-kun, please, I must hurry to catch a train for my job! I will see you in a couple of weeks.” she said hurriedly, glancing over her shoulder, noticing Gray-sama coming in their direction. 

Gajeel eyed her critically, concerned about his friend and her nervous frantic state. 

“You sure you’re alright?” he asked gruffly. 

“Yes, I promise, Juvia is fine. I just need some time away, and this job is the perfect opportunity, Now I’m sorry, but I really must go to catch my train!” she said perhaps a bit too loudly, her voice strained, as she was desperate to get out of there.

The dragonslayer nodded, now having more of an understanding of what was going on. He stepped aside and pushed open the door for his friend. “Alright then. Be careful, Rain Woman. Take care of yourself.” 

Juvia smiled and nodded, “Thank you Gajeel-Kun. I will. I promise.”

She made her way out of Fairy Tail and headed straight away for the train station. It didn’t take her long to reach the station. Once there she purchased a ticket for a place called Ballador. It was a long trip, 8 hours by train. That gave her a good long while to think about a good number of things. At least she had escaped the guild without having to face Gray-sama.

But what she hadn’t seen was the pained look in his eyes when she left without even saying goodbye. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juvia arrives at her destination and receives a warm welcome. Gray wrestles with what he should do.

Once on the train, Juvia felt a bit more at ease. She figured that getting on her way would be the best thing to do, as it was her mission to, at least in some sense, get over her attachment to Gray-sama. Certainly she would not stop loving him. Her love for him ran too deeply and was too sincere to simply disappear so easily and so quickly. It wasn’t her goal to fall out of love with him, but perhaps just to build some kind of buffer between them. Then maybe life would be a bit easier and she could enjoy working with him without the burden of her extreme attachments to him. She looked out the window at the passing scenery, sighing to herself. 

While Gray-sama and the guild generally brought her happiness, she knew that there was a certain way that everyone viewed her. There was a sense of pity that people looked upon her with. Lovesick Juvia and her hopeless quest for the heart of ice cold Gray. Gray who warded off all of her advances and snubbed her every attempt. Gray who called her “crazy” and “psycho”. Though he had moments where he showed he cared. During the war of Alvarez, he had expressed this… and had told her he would give her an answer after the war. Yet no answer had yet come. Time had passed and things were still the same… Juvia left pining after him and him avoiding her over and again. 

It wasn’t as though she hadn’t tried to get an answer from him.. She had! On several occasions, no less. To the point which he told her to ‘stop pestering him’. Juvia couldn’t help but grow more frustrated and upset. However, she hid it well, just like always. Cool and composed. That was Juvia Lockser. The picture of composure. The emotionless Rain Woman. Though, this wasn’t as true of herself in Fairy Tail. Everyone knew a much brighter, happier version of herself. It was only in more recent weeks that she felt as though she could no longer contain it. It was bothering her, and it was time to do something about it.

If Gray didn’t want her, it was time for her to accept that, as much as that broke her heart.

The train rattled on and Juvia found herself dozing off as the daylight waned. It would be evening by the time she reached her destination. Adjusting in her seat, she allowed herself to get a bit more comfortable on the bench seat and fell to sleep, listening to the rhythmic clicking of the tracks below. She slipped into a dream that was more of a memory. A memory of she and Gray-sama and their time together during the year Fairy Tail had been disbanded.

_ Juvia rubbed her elbow and cringed, sucking in her breath. It hurt so badly, but it was worth the end result. She and Gray-sama had spent the week training extra hard. They worked together so well, and had made leaps and bounds of progress by working as a team. Juvia had always been strong, as had Gray-sama, but together they were growing to be nearly impossible to beat. Their unison raids were spectacular to say the least. But so much hardcore training wore on the body, and she was definitely feeling it today. _

_ She moved from the place she was sitting and went to go toward the house, wincing as she moved. Her whole side ached. Today she had made a mistake and one of her own spells backlashed and hit her full force. It was likely that she had broken a couple of ribs, or at least bruised them badly. And her upper arm and elbow felt as though they had pulled muscles. She also had a cut on her foot from the river rock she had been standing barefoot on while practicing her enhanced water slicer. But nothing a little salve and bandages wouldn’t solve. She limped a bit into the house, toward the bathroom and was mat at the door by Gray-sama. He looked her over once, seeing her banged up state and sighed, shaking his head.  _

_ “I dunno, Juves, you look pretty rough,” he said, smiling a little. “C’mere, wouldja?” He then scooped her up bridal style and proceeded to carry her the rest of the way to the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, he gently eased her onto the countertop and then started to pull out the necessary accoutrements needed to treat her wounds. He set to work on cleaning her up, working quickly but gently. “I think you went a little too hard today, Juves. You shouldn’t push yourself so much, “ he said, his dark grey eyes meeting with her own midnight blues.  _

_ She nodded softly. “You are right, Gray-Sama. Juvia just wants to do her best and make Gray-Sama proud.” She looked down at her hands, breaking their gaze. He gently took one finger and touched her chin, ever so slightly pulling it so that their eyes meet again.  _

_ “Don’t be so worried about making me or anyone else proud. Be worried about what Juvia wants and what Juvia needs. I want you to be strong for yourself.” he said firmly, but with care in his voice.  _

_ Juvia nodded, blushing a little. “Yes, Gray-Sama. I will. Juvia will work for Juvia’s sake. I mean… for my sake. “ She gave him a small smile and he returned it with a sincere and full smile of his own.  _

_ “Now that’s my girl! “ he said with a laugh, his thumb affectionately brushing over her cheek. She blushed again at his action, holding his gaze as he stared back at her. He too failed to break the stare, and it seemed to go on forever. Closer and closer they leaned, chest heaving, sweat drops forming, bodies flushed and eager….and then he pulls away his heart thumping rapidly, anxiously.. “ Um… I should really wrap your ribs, the sooner the better.” _

_ He awkwardly pulled away from her and reached for the larger wraps and she just nodded silently, barely able to process what had almost happened.  _

Just then the train jostled and sputtered as it was coming to a stop. She was shaken awake by the sudden stop. “Even in my dreams things are hopeless,” she sighed, frowning. 

Juvia had slept the remainder of the trip and now arrived at the city of Ballador. From here she would travel by carriage for two hours to the town of Montil. Mira had already arranged a carriage for her, and it was scheduled to be picking her up within 20 minutes of the train’s arrival. Juvia checked her watch and saw that the train had arrived almost perfectly on time. That didn’t give her a lot of time to get to the carriage pick up.

She wasn’t really sure where she would be going in the first place. Still a bit shaken by the dream she had just had, she clumsily gathered her things, fumbling on her feet a bit. Once she managed to gather her things and herself, she made her way out of the train car and down off the train. She gathered her luggage on her luggage trolley and stopped a small sign kiosk in order to locate the carriage pick up point. Being that it was later in the evening, it wasn’t so likely that someone would be working on the customer service booth. She found what she was looking for within just a few moments and began walking at a brisk pace across the station. 

She managed to reach the pickup point in record time, and saw someone holding a sign that said “Lockser/Fairy Tail” and knew where to go. She made her way over to the pickup station and noticed that the carriage was a bit different than some of the others she saw. It was a bit rougher, more well-worn. She didn’t really mind either way. So long as it was sturdy and got them to the desired destination safely. As she drew near she noticed that the driver was different from other drivers she had encountered as well. It was a young man who, by description, would seem likely to be one of the farmers that lived in the very town where she was traveling to. When she was in speaking range, she stopped and addressed him. She cleared her throat and spoke up, politely as possible. “Excuse me, sir? I believe you’re waiting for me.”

The young man lifted his face and stepped into the light and Juvia was greeted by a friendly and warm smile on quite a ruggedly handsome face. She felt herself blush a bit as he tipped his hat to her. “Pardon there, reckon you must be Miss Juvia Lockser. Well goodness me, I wasn’t expecting someone so pretty as you, miss. I hope you don’t mind my saying so. I’m Ojo Hinata. I live in Montil and the Mayor sent me up this way to bring you back to town. Hope that’s alright with you. My carriage and my horses are safe and reliable, I assure you,” he said, patting the side of his carriage. 

Juvia smiled, blushing a little. “Oh I don’t doubt the abilities of you, or your equipment nor your equine friends. I trust that we will arrive in Montil safely and efficiently!” She gave a firm nod. “Shall we get going then?”

“Of course, Miss! Of course! I’lll load up your bags right away!”

And within ten minutes, Juvia and her things were loaded onto the carriage and Ojo was steering them toward the small farming village of Montil.

***

He unlocked the door and stepped inside the empty apartment, hearing the echo of his own footsteps. Closing the door and locking it behind him, he quickly shed his shirt and jacket, tossing them over the back of the kitchen chair. Clicking on a single light that hung over the table, he lazily glanced at his mail. He slumped down into a chair, letting out a low grunt. He was tired, his muscles aching. It was times like this that he missed her most… and not just because she could give one hell of a massage. But at the end of a long day, having someone there. Someone who cared. Someone who wanted to be there. To listen, to be with. Someone warm and solid and real. He sighed as he drummed his thumb on the table. 

But that’s all it was right? Right… It had been several hours since she had taken off on that job and he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had managed to distract himself for a matter of a few hours by going on a job with Natsu and Lucy to tackle a nest of vulcans that were taking over a large section of the East Forrest and starting to spill over into town. Quick job for some quick jewel. All of them just needed a little cash to top off their accounts for the end of of the month. Most of all he needed a distraction. He didn’t want to admit it, but this situation with Juvia was really getting to him.

The thing was, he still owed her an answer. And the last several weeks, he had been really really unfair to her. Her bouts of irrational emotional and emotional outbursts really weren’t so irrational or unwarranted. It really was all his fault and he felt bad about it. Gray knew he needed to get serious and finally give Juvia and answer. And deep down he knew the answer. He had known the answer for a long time. It was just damn near impossible to say it.

Gray was used to being on his own. Of course he had had Ur and Lyon, and then he had had the guild, but there was always an element of distance between him and others. At least when it came to the romantic side of things. He never let anyone get too close to him that way. The thing was, everyone he loved too much ended up dying and he couldn’t handle the thought of that happening with her, too. It had already almost happened once. He couldn’t do it again. 

He lost both of his parents.. His father twice. He lost Ur.. and then Ultear. He’d been lucky to not lose Lyon. And of course he had everyone at Fairy Tail. But Juvia.. She struck a chord in him that almost made him ….uncomfortable. Like it resonated so deep, so profoundly that he just couldn’t handle it. But at the same time he couldn’t let he be too far away. He didn’t want to share her with anyone else. 

When Lyon tried to win her affections it bothered him. It bothered him a lot. No way! Who the hell did Lyon think he was trying to woo one of their guild members?! But was that really it? Gray could easily scoff at that. Sure, that was part of it.But that was some dumb lame brain excuse. It was ll because he was too chicken shit to admit his feelings for Juvia. And it took everything in his power during that six months they lived together to not cave in and give in to his desires and just told her how he felt. But he didn’t .

She deserved better. He couldn’t give her the happy ending that she wanted and deserved. Gray Fullbuster would never be picket fences, rose gardens and rainbows. Juvia was the kind of girl that had dreams about a happy life with a happy family and he had duties in this world. As an Ice Demon Slayer he had to live out his father’s legacy and do right by him. There was nothing that could change that. Nor would he want to. But he still couldn’t help that he felt something for her, something strong that was eating away at him. He got up from his seat and went over to his refrigerator, yanking open the door and leaning on the unit, peering inside. He wasn’t really hungry, so he grabbed a beer instead. He popped open the bottle on the counter top and took a long, satisfying swig of the ice cold brew. That usually hit the spot when he was feeling tense.

But it was still bugging him, no matter what he did. Juvia. And whatever this job was she was on. There was something about it he didn’t like one bit. Call it a gut instinct. And it wasn’t just because it meant she would be away in some far off place for two weeks without him. That definitely didn’t make him happy.. But it didn’t feel safe. He sipped his beer again, thinking hard. He had never even heard of the town she was supposed to be going to, let alone agricultural areas out that way. That whole place was supposed to be barren deserts. Everyone knew that. So why would someone be trying to start an agricultural community out there? Something didn’t add up. Juvia was a smart girl, but something told him she hadn’t considered this. For whatever reason, she had taken this job in haste and it felt like she was talking into a trap. And it felt even more like a trap because they specifically wanted the help of a mage that specializes in water magic. Those were a couple of red flags to him. Nah… he wasn’t like this sound of this job more and more. He really wished she had waited until he was around and at least let him go with her. Why had she rushed off and taken a job like this alone? It wasn’t that he doubted her abilities as a wizard. She was really strong and had top notch skills. He couldn’t help worrying about the woman he… cared for..so much… The ice mage sighed to himself, then chugging the rest of his beer. 

He tossed the bottle into the appropriate trash bin and headed to the shower. Maybe a cool shower would help clear his head. One thing was for sure… thinking about her sure wasn’t doing it.

***

The carriage ride to Montil had been bumpy but Ojo had navigated the roads well. It was clear that these roads were not often traveled. He called to her a few times, apologizing for the rough quality of the road, and she called back, assuring him that she understood. She sat and tried to make the best of the trip. Juvia thought of her friends and how Natsu surely would not fare well on this trip considering how easily he became addled by motion sickness. As they drove along, she looked over a pamphlet she found inside the carriage that said MONTIL: A Farming Oasis on it in bold gold letters. She opened it curiously. It talked about the small farming community and how they were trying to build it up to become the next big population in Fiore. It seemed like it was meant to attract newcomers to settle in the area. The pamphlet seemed to be trying to draw families and young couples, which made sense if they were trying build up the area. Juvia sat back against the carriage seat and thought about settling down with Gray and having a little family in a quiet little farming community. She imagined him tilling a little field while she fed some chickens and their little ones ran in the yard. The thought made her smile herself, but then she caught herself and frowned. Maybe that wasn’t the best thing to be thinking about, considering the whole point of her taking this job in the first place.

Before long the carriage slowed and came to a stop, Juvia scooted to toward the window in an attempt to peek outside and she could heard Ojo climbing down off the driver’s seat. After a few moments the carriage door opened and she was greeted by Ojo’s friendly, smiling face. He offered a hand to her to help her down from the carriage. “Here we are Miss Juvia, watch your step now!” he said brightly, motioning to the steps. It was evening now and the daylight had dwindled away to nothing. The evening air had a touch of crispness to it and a light breeze blew. Looking around, she noticed they had stopped in front of a modest inn, the front dimly lit by old fashioned looking oil lamps. It was rather quaint, but very appealing. Juvia smiled at the sight of it. The whole place gave off a warm, homey glow that felt almost familiar and very welcoming. 

“This here is the Wisteria Inn, the nicest place in town. The mayor said to bring you here as he’s got you set up here for room and board while you’re stayin’ in town. I’ll get your bags for you, so don’t you worry! You just go right on in and talk to Jasmine at the front desk,” Ojo said, motioning to the double doors of the inn. 

“If you’re sure..” Juvia said, glancing at him and then the doors. He nodded and smiled cheerfully. She returned the smile and proceeded to head toward the ornately, heavy carved wooden doors. Pulling a door open, she was bathed in warm and lovely aromas of freshly baked goods and fresh brewed coffee. Her stomach rumbled, evidence of long trip and skipped meals rearing its head. Stepping inside, she felt herself enveloped by the entirety of the warm, as though she was wrapped in a warm blanket, fresh from the clothesline and dried by the spring sun. She looked around at lobby of the inn.

It was modest, but in the most perfect of ways. There was a river rock fireplace, and in front of it a couple of spindle rocking chairs. The walls were lined with bookshelves and volumes and volumes of old tomes lined the shelves. A few end tables with plants were here and there. Paintings of landscapes and birds. A large, old clock on the wall, ticking away the hours. The wallpaper had dainty little flowers on it and the floors were all wooden and very rustic. There were hand woven carpets on the floor and knick knacks on the mantle of the fireplace. It was something reminiscent of an old granny’s home. It was...perfect. Juvia couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about this place was just so delightful and special.

“Good evening! Can I help you with something?” suddenly came a voice out of nowhere. Juvia blinked several times, as if snapped out of a daze. She spun on her heels to find the source of the voice. Her gaze fell upon the face of a cherub cheeked young girl who was smiling cheerily. She couldn’t help but smile in return. “Oh! Pardon me, yes. My name is Juvia Lockser, I’m with the Fairy Tail guild…” she began. The girl’s eyes widened and her hands went up suddenly.

“Oh my goodness! We’ve been expecting you! You’re the wizard that came for the job for the maybe! Yes of course, right away! Please just a moment. So sorry to keep you waiting!” The girl began to frantically move about, going behind the little counter in the corner and pulling out a book and then picking up a phone receiver and ordering help to the front desk. After a few moments, Ojo came inside with Juvia’s baggage and set it down gently. 

“I see Jasmine gone and got all worked up again,” he said, shaking his head. Juvia laughed a little and just smiled. She had only been in Montil for a little while, but thus far it had been quite a lovely experience and the people were quite kind. 

A short while later, she was shown to her room and again, she was quite pleased. It had lovely hand carved wooden furniture, and a large 4 poster bed. The bed had a hand sewn patchwork quilt, no doubt the product of someone’s many hours of labor and love. There were sweet little lace doilies and pretty floral accent. She felt right at home. For dinner, she had some hearty stew with some warm bread in her room. It filled and warmed her belly, comforting her to her core. After having a quick shower in the adjoining bathroom, she dressed for bed. She settled into the large bed, pulling the warm quilt up over her body. She felt secure, safe, warm. It was rather odd to feel this wam when she was in a new place, so far from home. Maybe that was just how it was in Montil. Or maybe this was a sign… Juvia thought of Gray-sama as she laid in the dark, sleep overtaking her. She struggled internally over what she was meant to do.  _ Oh Gray-sama… if only you understood what I feel for you… Perhaps this is the place that will help me forget…  _ she thought sadly as she drifted off.

***

He laid there, trying to sleep. He was thinking about her again. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. He had this sinking feeling that she was in danger somehow. Like this job was a big trap. Was he being overprotective and paranoid? Did he just REALLY hate the idea of her being away for that long? Or were these concerns legitimate? He couldn’t deny that he was protective of her, and he did hate the idea of her being away so long, but his gut was telling him that something was up. Gray felt connected to Juvia and right now, that connection was feeling threatened. Like there was something pulling her away. 

Gray tossed and turned most of the night. Either laying awake thinking about Juvia or dreaming about her. His dreams were a mix of memories and fantasies, some not fit for young audiences. He awoke struggling with the sheets, a thin layer of sweat covering his body. He let out an exasperated groan. Sitting up, he grabbed for the small bedside clock on the nightstand. 3:15 a.m. Still a few more hours until daybreak. He had no exact plans for the day. Maybe take another job to serve as a distraction. Maybe he could find a job that was somewhere near where Juvia was and he could check up on her… Who was he kidding? There wasn’t going to be anything the middle of the nowhere like that. He wracked his brain trying to think of some other excuse that would take him out that way.. And of course he couldn’t think of a single logical reason. Gray found himself having an internal argument over whether he should leave her be or go after her. 

“Shit,” he mumbled, shifting around and swinging his legs over the side and sitting up in the process. He ran his fingers through his hair and groaned. “I just can’t stand this. I have to go after her to make sure she’s alright.”

And with that, his mind was made up. Within a few hours, Gray would be on the first train heading toward Ballador and find his way to the small town of Montil in search of the girl that plagued both his heart and mind, Miss Juvia Lockser.


	3. Perfectly Lovely

The bright morning sun peeked through the dainty lace curtains and gently beckoned Juvia out of her peaceful slumber. She slowly sat up, stretching and yawning, a smile spreading to her lips. She hadn't slept so well in ages. Usually she didn't sleep so soundly unless she was snugly tucked under her Gray-sama comforter cuddled up next to her life-sized Gray-sama plushie doll. But she felt quite well rested. "I supposed I should get up and take a shower," she said aloud to herself.

Juvia got up and gathered her things, and made her way to the bathroom where she took a long, leisurely hot shower. Once out of the shower, she felt refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to conquer the day. She crossed the room and pulled open the window across from her bed and was greeted by a flood of warm sunshine, a cool morning breeze and a lovely chorus of aviary song. She inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh, crisp morning air. It smelled of honeysuckle and roses. The water mage smiled fondly. "What a lovely morning," she said breathily, smiling as she peered outside and down at the bustling country road. She could see a few people moving about and carriages traveling to and fro. Perhaps it was not as busy as Magnolia, but for a town this size, one could say it qualified as bustling. Needless to say, she was excited to see what the day would bring. She remembered Jasmine mentioning a continental breakfast that came with the price of the room during their conversation the night before.

"Some tea and toast sounds lovely about now," she murmured aloud, her stomach grumbling lightly. With that, she grabbed her bag and giddily bounced out of her room and down the stairs to the first floor. She was generally a morning person, but she felt especially happy and bubbly today. When she got to the bottom of the stairs she was greeted by the familiar, friendly face of Jasmine. The girl smiled fully with her full, rounded rosy freckled cheeks, large green eyes, and sandy brown hair that she wore in a long plait. She was rather cute and down-to-earth looking and dressed very modestly, especially for a girl her age. Juvia guessed her to be no more than 14 or so.

"Good morning, Miss Lockser! My goodness, you look absolutely lovely today!'' she gushed, clapping her hands together and marveling at Juvia. The water mage blushed profusely.

"Oh my... well thank you, Jasmine. Please call me Juvia. I was curious about the continental breakfast!" she asked with a smile, trying to quickly change the subject.

The young girl's eyes widened and her hands flew up. "Oh yes! Of course! Please follow me!" she squeaked excitedly, motioning for Juvia to follow her. They went through a pair of sliding double doors off the side of the lobby. The doors led to a sweet little tea room that contained a number of wonderfully decorated tea tables, a gorgeous buffet and a bar of tea pots and accessories. The buffet was covered with all sorts of delicious looking baked goods, fruits and cheeses, and the smell was heavenly.

"Please help yourself to anything you like, Miss Juvia!" Jasmine said cheerily, motioning to the buffet. "What kind of tea would you prefer? Oolong? Green? Earl Grey? Herbal?"

Juvia was slightly overwhelmed by all of the choices before her and stared dumbstruck for a moment. Such hospitality! She quickly gathered her wits and managed a reply. "Oh, I'm sorry, herbal, please, if you could. Thank you."

She took a small plate and approached the buffet. Juvia helped herself to a large, flakey croissant, some soft cheese and a bit of fresh fruit. The smell was even more intoxicating up close. After she had served herself a bit of food, she sat at a nearby table. The tea set on the table was absolutely charming. Every piece of it was adorned with tiny bunches of blue bonnets, Juvia's favorite flowers. Even the utensils had tiny silver blue bonnets engraved into the top of them. She couldn't help but smile at the vast detail. Everything was so perfect! Perfectly lovely! Just then, Jasmine came around with her pot of tea and proceeded to pour her a cup. She was about to ask for lemon wedges, but then saw there was already a small bowl on the table that she hadn't noticed before.

"Can I get you anything else, Miss Juvia?" the brown haired girl asked politely, smiling brightly. The bluenette returned the smile genuinely and shook her head. "No, I believe you have done quite enough for now, thank you. I very much appreciate your help!"

Jasmine smiled and nodded. "I'll let you eat in peace then. Enjoy your breakfast!"

And then the girl disappeared behind the double doors, sliding them closed behind her. Juvia started to eat her breakfast and sit her tea. The food was some of the best she ever tasted! The croissant so soft and buttery, the cheese so creamy with a slight tang. The fruit was to die for.. Just the right amount of sweetness in every berry! Soft classical style music played in the background, a perfect accompaniment to the tea room setting. Juvia felt perfectly comfortable and at home here. What a lovely place this was! She ate the rest of her breakfast with much glee, and was almost disappointed when it came to an end. Once through, she excused herself from the table and exited back into the lobby.

"Did you enjoy your breakfast Miss Juvia?" Jasmine asked as Juvia slid closed the doors. Juvia smiled and nodded. "Oh good! I hope your tea turned out alright! I'm not quite as good as my mama, but she's a bit ill so I've been taking over her duties for a few days."

The water mage tilted her head curiously. "Your mother? Oh.. does your family own the inn?"

Jasmine nodded and smiled. "Yup, we sure do! I help out a lot when I'm not in school, and since it's the weekend I'm here all day. And I'm here extra since Mama's sick. But usually she takes care of all the fancy stuff like the tea room. She knows a whole lot about all of that!"

Juvia smiled. "I can assure you that she has taught you well. You did an excellent job. I was most pleased with my experience!" The girl beamed with pride, blushing a little at the compliment.

"Well goodness Miss Juvia, that's awfully kind of you to say!" she exclaimed, her cheeks even rosier than normal. Before Juvia could respond, a hulking figure made its way through the door. Once the individual came into the light, they saw that it was none other than Ojo Hinata.

"Morning there Miss Lockser, morning Jasmine," he said in greeting, nodding his head as he removed his hat.

"Morning Ojo! Need any breakfast?" Jasmine chirped, coming out from behind the counter.

"Not t'day Jas, I reckon I best be-" he began, but stopped mid sentence, staring at Juvia.

"Good morning, Ojo-sama. It's lovely to see you again," she said, smiling and greeting him with a slight bow. He continued to stare at her, his handsome face frozen in what looked to be a state of awe, still not having completed his response to Jasmine. She stared at him curiously, concern mounting as he gazed at her, glassy eyed. "Ojo-sama? Are you alright?"

"Well, gosh Miss Lockser, I hope you don't mind me saying so, but you look prettier than a whole field full of a blue bonnets!" he exclaimed, fawning over the azure haired young woman. She began to blush a deep crimson. That was most definitely not the response she had been expecting!

"Oh my, well goodness, thank you Ojo-sama. You are so very kind. I appreciate your generous words," she said with a genuine and kind smile.

Ojo could see that Juvia didn't fully believe his declaration of her beauty, and felt the need to further his point. The tall rugged farmer straightened up and put his hat to his chest. "I swear on my granddaddy's grave that you are the prettiest woman I've ever had the pleasure of making acquaintance with. And that's no lie, Miss! I'd bet any man in Fiore on it and win!"

Juvia stared at him, wide eyed. "Oh… um….oh my.. Why thank you, Ojo-sama, that is quite sweet of you to say. Juvia is just dressed as her usual self. Nothing special, you know," she sputtered, taken aback by his rather forward compliment. She wasn't used to this kind of attention. It was a bit frightening.. But also a bit...nice. After a few moments, the mage regained her composure and straightened herself.

"Ojo-sama, I presume you are here in regard to my job? You mentioned that the mayor would meet with me today," she said in a calm, but still friendly tone. The young man cleared his throat and nodded firmly.

"Yes, that's right, Miss Lockser. Mayor Romsdale is waiting to meet with you and has sent me to escort you to meet with him," he said, straightening himself as well, clearing his throat. His cheeks were slightly flushed and Juvia smiled a bit. It was charming is sort of an awkward, oafish way. Not to say that Ojo was an oaf, but rather he wasn't the suave and debonaire type. That was more Gray-sama's area. Knowing what to do and what to say at just the right moment, making Juvia's heart pound so hard that it might burst out of her chest. But Ojo had a different sort of charm about him.

"Very well then, we should be on our way. I don't want to be rude and keep him waiting," she said, gently slinging her bag around her body and looking to Ojo with a firm nod.

He nodded back and placed his hat firmly upon his head. "You got it, Miss Lockser! I'll get you there straight away, no time flat! But all safe like of course," he said with a great amount of enthusiasm, holding the front door open for her.

The beautiful young bluenette smiled and touched his arm as she passed. "Please Ojo-sama, call me Juvia."

Ojo grinned from ear to ear, his blush visible through his beard. "If you insist, Miss Juvia!"

Gray's POV

The alarm blared over and over again, echoing in the bedroom. It was unnecessary at this point because Gray was already up and showering. He had been up before sunrise, packing a bag and calling the train station to purchase a ticket as soon as the ticket office opened at 5 a.m. The earliest trains didn't leave until after 8, but he was making damn sure he was up and ready to go. He also needed to go by the guild Mira know that he was taking off for a little while. He really hoped his team wouldn't follow. He needed to solve this one on his own. And hopefully Mira could keep her mouth shut and not go around yapping about how he was going after Juvia. But he still had to let them know what was up for safety reasons. It was kind of one of the unwritten rules of the guild- you always let your nakama know where you are. Doesn't matter how old you get, if you go on a week long quest or a century long quest- you always keep in touch.

Once he was showered and dressed, he wolfed down a quick breakfast, grabbed his bag and headed toward the guild hall. He reached there on fit in a fairy short amount of time. (Though not so surprisingly, considering he was in an awfully big hurry.) He noticed that the hall was relatively empty, except for a few early risers. Usually Juvia would be one of the early comers. He sighed to himself. He saw Mirajane working behind the bar, and made his way over to her.

"Hey Mira," he called out, setting his bag on a stool and placing a hand on the bartop. "I'm gonna be heading out of town for a few days, and I just wanted to let someone know so no one goes all crazy looking for me." He was being rather blunt and honest about this, as he knew that if he simply disappeared that this would be exactly what happened. Mira looked up from the glasses she was arranging and then approached where Gray was standing. She smiled at him. "Is there a job you're going on?" she asked curiously.

"Well, sort of.. Not really. It's more personal, I guess. There's something I gotta take care of," he said quickly, not wanting to give her too many details. He also knew that she would go gaga if she knew his actual intent. She was always going on about how cute Juvia and Gray were together and how they'd make beautiful babies. She'd even gone so far as to attempt to make Gray promise that she would be made godmother of their first born. Wanting to avoid this headache entirely, he felt it was best to keep things as vague as humanly possible.

She just smiled a bit and nodded. "Oh, personal business? I see."

He eyed her suspiciously. Something was up. Why wasn't she grilling him for details? That was really unlike Mirajane. She always had to have the scoop, especially when it came to the love lives of her nakama.

"Yeah so if anyone comes looking for me, tell 'em I'll be gone a little while," he said, looking at her.

Mira just smiled again. "Okay Gray, take care of yourself."

Gray ribbed the back of his head and then shrugged. He wasn't sure why it weirding him out so much. This was a little too easy.

"Alright well… I'm out of here then," he said, picking up his bag and turning to leave.

"Oh Gray?"

"Yeah Mira?"

"I'll call ahead and arrange for a carriage to Montil for you," she said, giving him a knowing smile. He half grimaced and half smiled in spite of himself. Of course she knew.

"Great Mira. Thanks," he called, letting out a sigh and shaking his head as he made his way out of the guild and headed toward the train station.

A short while later Gray was on the train and settling into his seat. It was going to be a long train ride. Usually he'd be accompanied by his team if he was going on a trek this far out. He hadn't gone out on his own like this in a long time. By now Natsu would be turning green and groaning while overcome by motion sickness, slinging himself over Lucy, complaining to his girlfriend that he was, in fact, dying. And in turn she would be both attempting to comfort him and warning him to not throw up on her or in her bag. Poor little Wendy would be suffering in silence, as the young sky dragonslayer suffered from motion sickness as well, but was far more subtle about it. Carla would be balking at Natsu's display while Happy offered her fish for the millionth time and Erza would be offering to knock Natsu out for the remainder of the trip. Yeah… his team was a bunch of whacky nut jobs. He couldn't help but smile and laugh a little thinking about them. One thing was for sure, things were never boring when they were around. They were his closest friends and like his family.

His thoughts shifted to Juvia. He wondered what she might be doing.. If she was okay, where she slept last night.. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. He hated that it was such a long trip. That just meant it was that much longer until he could … could what? He had made the decision to go after her, but what was going to happen when he got there? What exactly was he expecting? And how was Juvia going to react? Surely she wouldn't be angry, right? He was just worried about her, wanting to make sure she was okay. Most people might assume that Juvia would be over the moon that Gray came chasing after her, but Gray knew her better than most people. She had left urgently and with a purpose. A purpose that obviously did not include Gray.

In the time they had lived together, Gray had learned a lot about the azure haired water mage. She was gentle and sweet by nature, but challenge her beliefs and she would meet you head on. It was that strength, that focus and willpower that he admired. The way she would do anything to protect the ones she loved and cared for was amazing. She was always true, always real. Everything Juvia did was with every bit of herself that she could muster. She never half-assed anything. Her heart went into every a thousand percent. That was where her true power revealed itself- when she was fighting for something she really believed in, when she fought with her heart. No one could match her in heart. That was the source of all the beauty and love she shined upon the world.

But would she understand why Gray showed up? Or would it be best for him to leave his presence unknown? At least then he could keep an eye on her and not directly interfere with her job. If it proved to be legit and safe, he could just leave and let her do her work, but if something proved to weird or off, then he could intervene. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea! That was exactly what he would do… Then he could avoid making her mad for no reason. She was obviously already upset with him. The last thing he wanted to do was push her away more.

Having made the decision, Gray felt a bit more at ease. He just needed to know that she was okay. With a few more hours left in the train ride, he decided it would be a good idea to catch a couple hour sleep before arriving in Ballador. He settled back in his seat, getting as comfortable as he could. Laying his head against the wall of the train car, he watched the scenery fly by as they traveled. Closing his eyes, he listened to the hum and click of the train on the tracks, slowly drifting off, thinking of a certain beauty with dark blue eyes.

In Montil…

They arrived at the Mayor's home shortly after leaving the inn. It seemed Montil truly was not a very big town. After the carriage stopped, Ojo dismounted and stepped down to help Juvia out. Offering her a hand, he held open the door for her in a very gentlemanly like fashion. Juvia certainly appreciated this. Once out of the carriage she saw that the Mayor lived in quite a grand home. Not overly extravagant , but far more ornate and elegant that the rest of the rustic settlement that surrounded it. It was a large two story plantation style home that sat behind large ranch style gates, and had a long sprawling drive. In front of the house was a plentiful and rambling garden. There were trees and bushes aplenty, a large water fountain and several bird bathes. The lawn was lush and rich, and flowers were blooming everywhere. It was quite the contrast from what Juvia had seen in the rest of the town. It was quite beautiful, albeit a tad confusing. For such a dry dusty place, this garden was thriving awfully well. She couldn't help but wonder…

Juvia was soon distracted from the gardens by the sound of Ojo's voice. "Right this way, Miss Juvia!" he said enthusiastically, motioning toward the stairs, offering a hand to help guide her up them. She politely thanked him and gratefully took his hand and took his hand to climb the vast, wide steps, and studied the large white, wooden doors of the mansion. They look just as sturdy as they were elegant.

Ojo rang the bell and two large chimes sounded, resonating throughout the property. It was promptly answered by a middle aged woman who looked to be rather prim and proper. Her hair was worn up in a tight bun, small square spectacles sat at the end of her long pointy nose, and her thin lips sat in a firm, unsmiling line.

"Mornin Mrs. Hanover Ma'am" Ojo greeted with his usual kind and warm demeanor. She eyed him up and down, shaking her head a bit.

"Ojo, good morning. The mayor is expecting you, I assume?" she said, tight lipped and squinting.

"Yes, Ma'am. This here is Miss Juvia Lockser from the Fairy Tail Guild all the way over in Magnolia!" he said, presenting the bluenette. Juvia stepped forward. The older woman looked her over, looking as serious and as grim as before.

"Ah yes, the wizard that the Mayor hired. One moment- Ojo you need to get to those fences before you leave here today. Mayor wants it done straight away, you hear? And now, Miss Lockser.. Very well, follow me." She made a motion for Juvia to follow behind her. Her movements were very sharp. The water mage quickly deduced that Mrs. Hanover was not so friendly as others that she had met in Montil thus far. They walk down a long, dark wood corridor, a variety of scenic paintings decorating the walls, until they came to a door at the end. Mrs. Hanover led the way into a drawing room. A young maid was dusting in the room and the older woman ordered her to bring tea. The younger employee seemed to give a little squeak and hurried off to complete the task. The stern older woman turned to Juvia, grimacing still.

"Mayor Romsdale is still taking calls in his study, so it will be a short while before he will be in to meet with you. Claire will bring in some tea and refreshments. Please make yourself comfortable. There are some magazines in the rack, if you so desire. I apologize for the inconvenience," she said, motioning to the rack that sat next to the end of a long couch.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hanover. I appreciate your hospitality," Juvia said politely, not wanting to do anything to get on the woman's bad side. She made Juvia rather uncomfortable and nervous. What was her problem anyway? The bluenette was fairly certain she didn't really want to find out.

The older woman sniffed and looked at her in response and muttered an "Mmhmm," and promptly excused herself from the room. When she was gone, Juvia breathed a sigh of relief. She did feel slightly more relaxed not being in her presence. At least things didn't feel so uptight. Juvia went over the magazine rack and found a magazine that was all about the community events in Montil and decided that would be amusement enough. A short while later, the young girl named Claire returned with a tea cart filled with a wonderful smelling lavender lemon tea and an assortment of delectable tea cakes. She served Juvia quickly but carefully and was as sweet and graceful as can be. This was much more the behavior Juvia was becoming accustomed to in Montil.

As she sipped the tea and enjoyed a delicious raspberry tart, she talked to Claire about some of the goings ons of the town, like she had read about in the community reader. There were so many delightful little things about the town that seem to fascinate Juvia. She was eager to learn more about it, especially seeing as she was going to be here an entire two weeks. Or longer, if the job or otherwise requires it. She smiled, thinking to herself. Before long they were interrupted by a booming, but jovial voice that filled the room.

"Well well now, Miss Claire, it looks like you've done a right fine job of making our guest feel right at home. That's lovely, just lovely. You're dismissed for now darlin'. Tell Mrs. Hanover I'd like her to come this way, if you could, thank you dear," the voice rang out, causing both young women to jump and turn in the direction of the door.

Juvia looked up and saw a great, tall strapping man in a very expensive suit and a thick swirling mustache smiling brilliantly as he entered the room, making motions with his hands as he spoke. He looked like the walking definition of a man with money. His salt and peppered hair was slicked back and his cleft chin jutted out proudly as he chuckled deeply. Claire squeaked again, nodding and bowing, quickly excusing herself. The man strode up to Juvia and offered a hand to her, tilting his head in greeting. Juvia shook herself from her momentary stupor and placed her small hand in his large hulking one and shook it with all the firmness she could.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss," he said, his voice rolling out in a svelte drawl, gently dropping her hand and motioning to the sette she had been sitting on. "Please have a seat, no need to stand on my account." He flashed his charming smile and took a seat across from her on another sofa. She could smell his cologne wafting across the room. It was spicy and musky at the same time. Oddly appealing yet repelling at the same time. A very strange sensation indeed.

"And yours, Mayor Romsdale I assume? I am Juvia Lockser of the Fairy Tail Guild. I was told that you were in need of a water mage for a job here in your town regarding an agricultural situation," Juvia said, looking at him straight in the eyes.

The mayor let out a chuckle and nodded. "Why you get straight to the point don't you, Miss Lockser? You are most definitely correct. As you can see, our town is in a permanent drought state, and our community is based off of it's agriculture. You see, there's an aqueduct that runs below the earth, but we can seem to get the wells to pump up the water anymore. When we first started the settlement, it was working just dandy. We had a few wizards out here that were able to control the flow of the water and they helped up with getting water to the homes and businesses, to our crops. And then it just stopped working! No one knows why. So that's where you come in. We've tried everything! Even had some other water wizards out here and no such luck. But then we heard about the Fairy Tail guild and they're the absolute best. After all, you all did manage to win the war against the Black Wizard Zeref! And take out that dragon Acnologia! So I figure, if anyone can solve our problem, it's a wizard from Fairy Tail!"

Juvia blushed a little. Of course her guild was world famous for all the things they had accomplished, but like the other members of her guild, she did not spend time thinking about how heroic they all were. They had just done what was necessary. They had done what was needed to survive. There was no other choice.

"I will do my best to assist you, Major Romswell. Whatever the problem might be, I will do everything in my power to help you solve this problem and get the water back to your town," she said, nodding firmly, speaking with conviction. "Though I can't help but notice that it seems you currently have access to water within the town, and you yourself have quite the lush garden out front…" She looked at him curiously.

The Mayor's countenance then changed. "Yes, currently we do. We have well reserves that came from pumping up the water while the pumps were still functioning. But we will soon run out of water from those reserves. And I'm a bit embarrassed by the gardens. Please excuse that… My wife… she's not the most practical of women. You see, she's from Crocus and is used to lush gardens and plenty of flowers. Without it she feels unhappy and homesick. Anyway, we have to solve this problem soon, or our whole town will be in jeopardy."

Juvia nodded, thinking for a moment. She wanted to get to work as soon as possible. It seemed that they were working on a time clock and there wasn't a moment to lose. "Could you show me the main site where these pumps are supposed to be? Perhaps if I could see the source, I can figure out what the source of the problem might be. Also I would like to meet with any mechanics or engineers you have working on the project. I might need to go back to my room at the inn to change first. I have a feeling I'll be getting my hands dirty," she said, nodding firmly.

"Yes, of course, Miss Lockser, whatever you need. I'm just happy that you're willing to accept the job. I'll call up the boys and have them meet you at the site. And I'll have Ojo take you back to the inn straight away to get yourself ready."

Juvia nodded and smiled. "I would appreciate that greatly, Mayor. And I look forward to doing this job. I really do want to help you and your people."

The Mayor had been hesitating for a few moments and Juvia wondered why. She had noticed him fidgeting and wringing his hands. He had gone from being overly confident and boisterous to that of a nervous, nail biting, scared small child.

"Is something wrong Mayor?" she asked in concern.

"Well, there's one more thing you should know… The site is known to be… haunted," the mayor eeked out, looking pale now.

Juvia raised a brow and then sighed a bit. Haunted? Well this was getting interesting.


	4. Echoes in the Caves

Once she had gone back to the inn to change, Ojo took Juvia straight over to the main job site. As she climbed down from the carriage she looked around and saw that the area looked quite dry and barren. It was still a mystery to her how they had even come to have an agricultural settlement out here in the first place. It seemed warmer in this part of the town, too. She felt the sun blazing down from overhead, prickling at her skin, even this early in the day.

"Here we are Miss Juvia. Let me go round up the boys and we'll get you started," Ojo said, rushing off to talk to some men she saw a short distance away. After rounding them up they gathered near a large well. There were several men of varying age crowded around and waiting for Juvia to speak. She assumed this must be the 'team' she would be working with.

"Boys, this here is Miss Juvia Lockser, a wizard from the Fairy Tail guild. She's coming all the way here to help us with our water problems and is working for the mayor, so you best listen up!" Ojo barked, sounding rather firm and authoritative. They all straightened up, and nodded, standing at attention and waiting for her to speak. Once satisfied with their position, Ojo turned things over to Juvia.

"Why thank you for that lovely introduction Ojo. Good morning gentlemen, as Ojo so kindly informed you, I've come to help your town with your water problems. I only hope that I can help to solve these issues in the most efficient way possible! Now if you could kindly give me any information available, it would be most helpful," she said kindly, looking around at their faces. They all stared back at her, smiling and grinning, but did not respond. She cleared her throat.

Ojo frowned and furrowed his brow. "C'mon you all, speak up! Miss Juvia ain't got all day for you to be standing around gawking at her!" They all fumbled over themselves and tried speaking at the same time, leading to a confusing chorus of voices. "Darnit all, y'all calm down! One at a time!"

Juvia couldn't help but giggle a bit. It was a bit of an amusing scene. Ojo caught her glance and gave a her a smile and a wink. She felt herself blush and a little flutter in her stomach. "Now, let's try this again. Johnson, why don't you go first. You been foreman on this job for awhile now."

A middle aged man with reddish brown hair and a bushy mustache stepped up, clearing his throat to speak. "Yes sir, I sure have been. You see Miss Lockser, we been trying to dig alternate wells and water channels to have a way for the water to travel up from the aqueduct, but something keeps causing them to cave in or become blocked somehow. We ain't never had that problem before, but then some months ago it all started. We done gone down into the mines to try and find a way to drill through the rockbed, but no one can get down into the deeper caves. Seems there's something down there." When he got to the end, his face went sheet white and he looked spooked. The rest of the men nodded in agreement and backed up what Johnson had said.

"Yes, the mayor said something about the site being haunted?" Juvia asked curiously, looking around at their faces. They all looked scared and worried. "I'll have to see the site to make an deductions about the possible source of these problems. Who of your team would be so kind as to escort me to these caves?" The group of men looked as though they had just lost more color from their faces, if that were even possible. No one stepped forward to volunteer.

Ojo looked annoyed and shook his head. "Oh you big buncha sissies. There ain't nothin' down there but some critter we ain't caught yet. Now, ain't none of you gonna volunteer?" They all looked from Ojo to Juvia, still sheet white and not speaking. "Alright, fine then. Cooper, Graves and Miller, you three and I will take Miss Juvia down to the mines. Johnson, you and the rest of your crew work on getting that well rig set up. We're gonna need something to work with once we get this problem with the caves figured out."

The men nodded and split into two groups. The group that Ojo had picked to accompany them into the mines headed over to a shed and began pulling out equipment. The others went to work on the well that they had been near. They gathered ropes, lanterns and helmets, and put protective gear on as a precaution. The three men seemed to be stalling a little, but Ojo kept urging them along. It was a short hike to the mines from the well stations, and once there Ojo brought them to a stop. "Now here we are Miss Juvia. We gotta make sure our lanterns are all lit up and we have to stick together. It gets a little wily down in these mines and I would hate to see you get hurt in any way," he began, looking toward the mine and motioning in the general direction. "But shoot, I know you can handle yourself just fine. I can tell you're just as tough as you are beautiful, and that a whole hell of a lot!" Juvia smiled. She appreciated the vote of confidence.

As they progressed into the mine, proceeding through the dark entrance with utmost caution and care. Juvia tried to take note of her surroundings and gain every detail. There wasn't much to take in at first, as it was very dark and seemed to get darker the deeper they went. She did notice that it was rather chilly and that there was a cool breeze coming from the depths of the mining caverns. The darkness was like black ink pooled all around them, their lanterns standing out brilliantly against the darkness. But as brightly as they shone, it still did not seem to light more than a few feet in front of them. Juvia shivered a little as they got further in. She traveled behind Ojo, trying to find something significant along the walls and floors of the cavern's pathway, but the light only lit the little bubble around them. After some time, Ojo came to a stop, turning to Juvia.

"Miss Lockser, this is where it gets a bit more rough. We have to climb down a rope ladder a ways, and there's an awful big drop down into a chasm. I'd appreciate if you let me go first so I might help to guide you, seeing as you've never traveled down here before," he said, motioning to the territory ahead of them and looking at Juvia rather seriously. She appreciated that Ojo respected her opinions and position on this job.

"Of course, Ojo-sama. That would only make sense. Please lead the way," she said as she gestured forward. The handsome farmer smiled and nodded firmly. They traveled a short distance more before he stopped to light a couple of torch lanterns that vaguely lit up the area. The start of a rope ladder could be seen just over the edge of the walkway. Ojo stopped again. He turned and addressed the three men behind Juvia.

"Cooper you set up the rig for Miss Juvia, Graves you steady the ladder from the top. Miller, you hold the lanterns so it gives the lady some extra light. Y'all hear me? "

The three men nodded and gave a 'Yessir'. They proceeded to set up a rope rig with a belt that Juvia could put around her middle for extra security while climbing down the role ladder over the large chasm. While the others weren't doing this, she took it as a necessity due to her lack of experience. Though she was here to be independent, she didn't want to be unsafe. Ojo went down the ladder first, disappearing into the darkness as he descended. Several minutes passed before they heard him call up to them. The man he called Cooper threw one end of a rope down until there was tension put on the rope, meaning it had reached Ojo at the bottom. They then looped the rope through the small hardness Juvia had on around her middle, and then ran the rope back through a rig loop that was set up on a nearby support beam. Cooper called down to Ojo and then offered a hand to Juvia as she began down the rope ladder. She clung to the ladder, careful not to move too quickly, nor too slowly. Surely she was anxious to get to the bottom, but she wasn't going to be impetuous. The darkness surrounded her, enveloped her; it felt as though it were consuming her. The further she descended, the colder it became, chilling her right to her core.

Juvia finally reached the bottom and was greeted by a smiling Ojo, offering a place to steady herself in the dark, his strong hands guiding her downward. Once she was on the ground, she let loose a deep breath of relief. It was nice to be on solid ground again. Ojo held the rope steady while Cooper climbed down and then the others followed. When the entire party had reached the bottom, they continued on, going deeper into the caves. They lit torch lanterns along the way, but nary a light could penetrate this deep, cold darkness. It was different than anything Juvia had ever really experienced. It almost reminded her of the cold emptiness she felt before she met Gray-sama and joined Fairy Tail.. the feeling that made her the "Rain Woman".

All her life she was haunted by this feeling of loneliness, a sense of separation from everyone and everything around her. Her powers made her unique, but they also made her different; some people don't think different is good. She had been ridiculed and bullied because she was different from other people. No one could handle being around her for an extended period of time. They became to sad and depressed because it was always 'gloomy'. She couldn't help that the rain was there… she was born that way. But then she met Gray-sama and she found her sunshine and warmth. As cool a customer as he was, Gray-sama had warmed her heart like no one else ever had before. She finally saw a blue sky, she finally knew how to smile. It was something so new and so amazing to her. All because of her love for this man, Gray Fullbuster. And yet, he had turned her away… time and again.. Even after sharing a home with her, sharing a life with her… after defending her life and almost giving up on everything because he thought she was gone.. And he had denied her yet again. He wasn't obligated to love her in return, but he could have at least had the decency to give her some closure. He refused to respect her as an equal, an individual. She was just some love crazed freak that he could toy with when he pleased… Juvia felt her insides grow colder as they traveled on, and her thoughts grew darker and colder with them. Soon a feeling of desperate sadness mixed with a seething anger began to overtake her. Ojo stopped them just then, and turned to face Juvia, meeting her gaze.

His kind honey brown eyes were warm and comforting as she looked upon them, her own dark blue eyes locking on them. It was then that she felt some warmth again and pulled away from the grim thoughts that were plaguing her mind. It was like a warm drink on a cold day, washing the heat over her whole being. He looked at her with great concern, his brow furrowed and mouth set in a firm line. He tilted his head a bit in an endearing way that made her smile in spite of herself.

"Are you alright there Miss Juvia?"

"Oh goodness, yes. I'm fine. I'm sorry! ," she said quickly, shaking her head to clear it as he stared at her. Her cheeks went pink in embarrassment, as she jabbered and waved off his concerns. "I'm fine, don't worry about me! Just peachy keen! No worries here!"

Ojo smiled at her again and nodded "Long as you're alright Miss Juvia," he said as turned to look around the area they were standing in. "Now this here is the central point for several passageways. It's a maze of sorts, really when you think about it. And there are openings to the aqueduct, or at least there were. Most of them are caved in or severely damaged. Either way, we can't get the water up through them.

Before Juvia could respond there was a high pitch squealing sound, followed by a low sort of hooting sound that echoed through the cavern. The little hairs on Juvia's body all stood on end, her arms now stricken with goosebumps. Behind her came a chorus of girlish shrieks and screams, and she turned sharply to see Cooper, Graves and Miller clinging to one another. Ojo frowned, looking around to attempt to locate the source of the sound. And then it happened again, followed by an ominous gonging that rang through the caverns, echoing and reverberated over and again. Sounds echoing upon themselves and creating an almost nauseating cacophony that ran right through every fiber of her being. Juvia felt rocked and jilted, but was still standing firm as she looked around.

"What was that sound, Ojo?" she asked, her voice shaking a little. She was a bit nervous, but alert and ready.

"That was the ghost!" yelled Cooper

"It's a demon!" shouted Graves

"You're both wrong! It's a phantom!" croaked Miller

"All of you just hush up now!" Ojo barked, furrowing his brow and looking around turned and looked to Juvia. "That was whatever critter is living down here. Haven't been able to get a look at it, so ain't had a chance to catch it! Don't you worry, Miss Juvia. Between you and me, we can handle whatever it is!"

Juvia nodded firmly, steadying her stance as the sound called out again. Whatever it was, it was coming closer and closing in on them. She could feel it grow colder by the moment. Ojo had closed some of the distance between them, standing closer to her in a protective way. She had no idea what they were about to face, but she was ready for it.

***

After his train arrived in the station at Ballador, Gray made his way through the midday crowd to find a carriage pick up point. Mirajane had said that she was going to arrange a ride for him, so there should be someone waiting to take him to Montil. He wasn't really sure where he was going, but noticed an information booth midway through the station. He waited for a moment while the girl working in the booth helped someone ahead of him. He found himself thinking about what Juvia might be doing at the moment, wondering if she was alright. He hoped that she was safe. In all honesty, he hoped that this whole thing was just him being overprotective and worrying too much. He didn't want to be right and have it mean that she was in danger somehow. He wanted to be wrong about this one.

"Good morning, Sir! Welcome to Ballador Central Station! What can I help you with today?" suddenly came a bright sounding voice. Gray shook his head and looked up and was met with the face of the girl working the information booth.

"Oh.. uh.. Yeah, morning. Sorry, I was thinking… Anyway, uh.. Where can I find the pick up point for the carriages?" Gray sputtered, finding himself a bit flustered. He had been so focused on Juvia that he had forgotten where he was for a minute. What was going on with him? He was usually a lot more level headed than this.

"Were you needing to arrange a carriage or did you have one prearranged?" the girl asked, giving him a friendly smile.

"Someone was calling ahead to arrange for one for me. I'm going out to Montil," Gray responded.

The girl looked surprised, her eyes growing wide. "Montil? That's all the way out in the middle of nowhere!"

Gray nodded. "Yeah, I know. But I have some personal business out that way."

The girl's formerly overtly cheery disposition disappeared as her face fell and she grimaced. "Be careful going out that way. People say that town is haunted or has some kind of curse on it," she said, her voice low and ominous. "Whatever your business is, I suggest you get it done with and get out of there as soon as possible!"

Gray looked at her, eyebrows raised, frowning deeply. What did she mean?

"What do you mean, haunted or cursed?" he asked urgently, now growing concerned all over again. He had to find more about what she was talking about. "What's wrong with Montil? Are there bad people running the town or something?"

Suddenly an older woman showed up in the booth and had overheard the girl as they came from the back, and now heared Gray asking questions. She cleared her throat and stepped forward. The girl stood at attention, now looking anxious, nervously glancing between the woman and Gray.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Nothing is wrong at all. Have a pleasant day!" she chirped, her voice going up an octave as she spoke. Gray furrowed his brow. He wasn't giving up that easily.

"No, please, what was that about Montil? Why would you say that?" he pursued, staring at her and ignoring the hemming and hmmming of the older woman. Before the girl could speak, the other woman spoke up.

"Please excuse Gwendolyn, Sir. Certainly she misspoke. Now what was it you were needing help with? The carriage pick up? Why yes, that's about a five minute walk straight that way and then off to your right there will be the individual pick up stations. If you already have a ride arrange, your driver will greet you there. If you require to arrange a carriage, you must visit the Carriage Depot office that is located near the pick up stations. Thank you for using Ballador Central Station. Have a lovely day." she said, her tone firm and dry, a light lipped smile forced upon her mouth. Gray sighed and knew that he wasn't going to get any more information from them.

He turned away, frustrated and now in a hurry, noticing the time on a nearby station clock. Gray rushed in the direction the woman had pointed him in an effort to make it in time to catch his carriage. A short time later he could see the carriages come into view. He noticed one of the drivers holding a sign that said FULLBUSTER and he knew where to go. It didn't take long to get loaded into the carriage and on the road to Montil. The driver apologized for the bumpy roads in advance and warned that because of the 'extremely rural location' of the town, there was an extra charge for the trip. Gray paid the charge without complaint, simply wanting to get on his way to the town.

The carriage ride was bumpy, just as the driver warned, but Gray didn't really care. He was too distracted thinking about Juvia and how he was going to execute his little plan. The first thing he would do would be to find a place to set up a base of operations and that meant finding a place to stay. He assumed the town would have some kind of accommodations, and hopefully he could get a room without having called ahead. Considering what he had heard about the town so far, he didn't get the impression that people were flocking to it in droves. So hopefully that wouldn't be too much of an issue. He wished he had told Mira to not use his real name. He should have thought about that ahead of time. That would have made his covert mission a lot easier. After he found a place to stay, he would check out the town and try to locate Juvia. It shouldn't be hard to find her, considering she would probably be the talk of the town. That usually happened when Fairy Tail came to town- everyone knew they were there one way or another. And it didn't hurt that Juvia was exceptionally beautiful and kind, so everyone always took a liking to her. He could safely assume that she would quickly become popular with whoever she met.

He leaned back in the seat, thinking about when they lived together during the year that Fairy Tail had disbanded. Before he had gone off on his covert mission as requested by Erza, they had been living a quiet little life together. Training, working, eating, sleeping. He had gotten so used to her presence. When he did leave to work undercover in Avatar, he missed her every day. While he had never admitted to anyone, it was the thought of being with her again that got him through every day. It was what got him through all the darkest of days in recent past. Hell, when he thought she was dead during the Alvarez war, his entire world shattered. But yet, when time came to really step up, he lost his nerve and chickened out. The more he thought about it, the more he knew it was time to change. She deserved better than he had given her. There had been so many times that they had come so close, yet he always pulled away. What was he so afraid of? Letting loose an exasperated sigh, he laid his head back and closed his eyes. With any luck the rest of this ride would go by quickly and he would arrive soon.

***

Juvia braced herself as she felt the air around them swirling, readying herself for anything that might attack. Whatever was present in the cavern of the mine was moving around them at a rapid rate, swooping and flying about. It was impossible to tell what it was because it was so very dark. Thinking quickly, Juvia had an idea.

"Ojo, I'd like for you and the others to all concentrate the light in one area on my word," she said, her eyes darting back and forth. "So when I call a direction, you turn your lights that way."

Ojo nodded firmly and then called out to the others. "Ya hear that boys? Ya'll listen to Miss Juvia!"

"Now and….LEFT!" Juvia called out and a large spot of light shone, lighting the cavern for a moment and she saw something moving through the air. She had to make a move.

"Water slicer!" she cried

Whatever it was cried out again, whooping and howling, moving around them again. Juvia had missed that time, but she wasn't going to give up that easily. Steadying herself on her feet, she braced herself again.

"Now….RIGHT!" she called and they shone their lanterns in that direction and again she could see the movement. "Water slicer!"

There was a large gust of chilled air rushed past them as the entity cried out again, sounding as though it was moving up and away from them. And then suddenly it was dark, silent, and still. Juvia stood in place, listening carefully. Whatever had been there before had left them now. The cavern seemed better lit and they were able to see some of the passageways.

"Miss Juvia, would you like to go deeper into the mine or return to the surface?" Ojo asked, looking to the water mage. She turned and looked at him, thinking for a moment and then answering.

"I think perhaps I should like to return to the surface for now, Ojo. I believe I have some research to do before we continue," she said.

They then left cavern and worked their way back through the passageways in the mines. As they got closer to the surface, the more light seemed to show around them, and the air grew warmer. When they had reached the surface, she could feel a very distinct difference in the atmosphere. It wasn't just the normal change in temperature from going underground. There was more to it than that. She needed to pool her resources and find out more about the mines themselves. She also would like to talk to some of the townspeople. There seemed to be some missing pieces to the puzzle and it was going to take some work to put them together.

Once they returned to the inn, Ojo helped her down from the carriage in his usual gentlemanly way and saw her inside. They chatted for a few minutes in the lobby before Juvia excused herself and retired to her room to freshen up. As she climbed the stairs, she had a very odd feeling. It almost felt as though someone was watching her every move, as though she was being tracked. She tried to shake the feeling as she gathered her things to go for a shower.

Little did Juvia know, there indeed was someone watching her, right behind the cracked sliding doors to the tearoom. Someone whom happened to be very interested in Juvia and this mystery man that seemed a little too friendly. The dark haired man behind the door noticed the way the large man looked at the blue haired beauty, and he didn't like it one bit.


	5. Surprise Encounters

After seeing Juvia with this mystery man, Gray was set on edge. He picked up a certain vibe between them. Or maybe he was just seeing things. But then he heard the man offer to ‘show Juvia the town’ that evening and she accepted. What was that supposed to mean? Show her the town? Was it supposed to be like a date? A friendly gesture? Who was this guy anyway? She had been barely been gone a day and she already had other guys taking her to dinner? And why was she so giggly and smiley with him? What was so great about this guy? He just looked like some big dumb hick. Gray’s jaw clenched and his teeth ground as he found himself pacing across the floor of his room. A monster was growing inside him and it’s name was jealousy. 

What was he going to do now? Follow them… that’s what. Yeah.. he was going to follow them and keep an eye on Juvia, make sure she was okay. Make sure this guy didn’t try something funny. He had to make sure that nothing funny was going on. He had no idea where they were going or what they were planning, but he’d have to watch the halls carefully for when she left. He had noticed that the inn wasn’t a large place and there wasn’t a large amount of rooms. It was going to be tricky not running into her, but if he was careful he might be able to pull it off for at least a day or so. Just long enough to check up on her and make sure things were okay.

He hated to admit it, but something had him worried. That girl at the train station help desk had been right; there was definitely something weird about this town. It was like there was some kind of charm over it that made everything seem better than it really was. He had seen this kind of thing used at hotels and resorts. It was something he became familiar with doing some jobs for some casinos down in the coastal cities. Most spells of that kind were outlawed and if they were being used it was cloaked and well hidden. Glamor spells they called them. The more down in the dumps someone was, the more enticing and appealing it made the place seem to the person. He could kind of tell what was going on when the bathroom decor changed three different times to something that would best fit his tastes. And it worried him that Juvia had been so upset when she left Magnolia and headed to this town. Now by the looks of things, she was feeling a little more comfortable than he liked. And the glamor spell had to be why she was making googly eyes at this big doofus who kept calling her ‘Miss Juvia’ all dopey like.

Gray just had to bide his time until 6 p.m. He had overheard them make plans to meet for dinner around that time. In order to not be found out, he was going to have to delay his departure by a short while, but thankfully he had heard where the big oaf planned to take Juvia. “Miss Saidy’s Cookin’ Pot,” he mumbled to himself. “Sounds like a real down home kind of place.” He couldn’t help but be sarcastic. It all just felt so manufactured and ridiculous. Who was really like that? Seriously. The entire wholesome country schtick this place had going on rubbed him the wrong way. It just seemed so...fake. There was no way Juvia could really be eating all of this up. 

“Nah… she’s just being friendly because that’s what Juvia does. Yeah, she’s just being polite.” Gray said aloud to himself. He sounded as though he was trying to convince himself that this was the truth. Usually he was pretty confident and that confidence was unwavering. But for some reason, he wasn’t feeling so confident right now. One thing he knew for sure, he wasn’t just going to stand by and watch Juvia get duped by a bunch of yokels. Why were they working so hard to attract people to this one horse town? 

***

Juvia hurried to take a shower and freshen up, as she didn’t want to take too long to get ready. After all, Ojo-sama had been kind enough to offer to take her out and show her the sights this evening, and she didn’t want to keep him waiting. He had been so kind and helpful today, and now he was being even more of a gentleman. It really warmed Juvia’s heart that he went out of his way to make her feel so welcome. She really did think he was something special. Some might look at him and just see a simple farmer, the mayor’s lackey, but she saw something more. He was kind, caring , strong, hardworking, dedicated; these were the kind of characteristics she could really admire in a person. And he was so free with his emotions! That was quite different than Gray-sama.. Almost the opposite really. He had no problem telling her how beautiful he thought she was or expressing his desire to spend time with her. 

It wasn’t that she wanted to Gray-sama to gush over her looks or even spend every waking moment fawning over her and begging to be at her side. She just wanted some of his attention, to share his affections and time. She just wanted to be with him.. To feel loved and wanted in the same way she loved and wanted him. To have it reciprocated for once. But she never got that, even though he had showed on several occasion that he might be inclined to show that to her. It was all very confusing and disconcerting. That confusion and upset is what led her here in the first place. And now she was going to do her best to distract herself from it. She thought about this as she picked out an outfit for dinner. She decided on one of her best blue dresses. A simple flowing blue frock that was a soft periwinkle that played off the midnight blue of her eyes. As she looked in the mirror to do her hair, she decided she wouldn’t focus on Gray-sama tonight and would try her best to have a good time. Juvia swept half her of her long wavy azure locks in a clip and let the rest fall in tendrils around her face. She secured a flower near the clip, complementing the simple elegance of her dress. Then she coupled the ensemble with a pair of simple flats and she was all set to go. 

Once she descended downstairs, she was greeted by both Jasmine and her mother Mrs. Campbell, both donning bright, shining smiles. 

“Oh my goodness, my dear, you look stunning!” Mrs. Campbell gushed, bringing her hands to her mouth in surprise, giving Juvia a sincere smile.

Jasmine beamed. “See, I told ya she was a knockout, Mama! Miss Juvia is the prettiest lady we’ve seen in these parts in a long time!” 

“Well Jasmine, you just might be right about that! Isn’t Ojo a lucky fella!” the girl’s mother said, giving Juvia a knowing wink, causing the water mage to blush profusely.  
“Oh goodness, thank you. We’re just having dinner and Ojo is showing me around a bit. Those are very nice things for you to say,” she said politely,blushing a little at their compliments. It was in her nature to be modest and respond as such to praise. She really did appreciate their kindness and going out of their way to try to boost her confidence.

Before anything more could be said, a familiar broad shouldered figure entered the main doors of the Inn, but he wasn’t dressed in his usual farmer duds. This time he was wearing what might be his Sunday bests, decked out in a modest but nice brown suit, a charming bow tie and tasseled loafers. His hair was combed a bit differently, away from his face, showing off more of his handsome features. He had trimmed his beard, showing off the strong line of his jaw, and the cut of his suit complemented his broad, masculine build. He cleaned up quite nicely, as they might say in these parts. “Evening folks,” he greeting, removing his hat from his head as he entered, first greeting Jasmine and Mrs. Campbell, his eyes traveling and then falling upon Juvia. He stared for a long moment, unable to speak, completely awestruck. 

“Why Miss Juvia...I never did think I could ever see you look lovelier, but you have proven me wrong. You are an absolute vision that has taken my very breath away!” he said, marveling at her, truly taken aback by her beauty. “Why I am absolutely honored and privileged to be your escort tonight!” 

Juvia flushed a shade darker than crimson, feeling her entire body heat up in embarrassment. Her stomach fluttered and she felt absolutely taken aback as he showered her with compliments and adoration. “Oh my...well Juvia just wanted to look nice...Ojo-sama is so kind… really it’s nothing… hehe… oh my well, goodness, Juvia doesn’t know what to say,” she stammered, completely flustered. As if that weren’t enough, Ojo suddenly pulled flowers from behind his back and thrust them at her. It was a bouquet of blue bonnets, her favorite.

“Oh gosh, I near plum forgot! I got these for you. I hope you don’t mind ‘em. The pretty blue color reminded me of your eyes. ‘Course they’re not nearly as pretty as you, but I wanted to bring you somethin’ nice,” he rambled nervously, rubbing the back of his head self consciously as he held them out to Juvia. “Here ya are Miss Juvia. I hope you don’t mind.”

She stepped forward and accepted them, smiling at him, her hands shaking a little. No one had ever given her flowers before. And to have them be her favorite flowers. How had he known? Regardless of how he had known, she was deeply touched and she found it to be quite sweet. 

“Oh my! Thank you so much Ojo! You really didn’t have to! Blue bonnets are my favorite!” she cooed, unable to hide her excitement. She took a long sniff of them, taking in the lovely aroma. They smelled heavenly.

Mrs. Campbell came from behind the reception desk and approached Juvia. “Dear would you like me to keep those in some water for you while you’re out?” she asked sweetly. Juvia smiled and nodded appreciatively.  
“Oh could you? That would be wonderful!” she said, handing her flowers to the woman.

“Well Miss Juvia, if you’re ready, I’d like to take you on to dinner now. If you don’t mind I figured we mind take a little stroll over to Miss Saidy’s since it’s just up the way. I hope you don’t mind,” Ojo asked hopefully.

Juvia smiled. “That sounds delightful Ojo! I’d love to see a bit of the town!” 

“Alright then! Off we go. M’lady,” he said, offering her his arm. She giggled a little and smiled, taking his arm and nodding to him. 

“Of course, good Sir!” 

***

He braced himself against the wall of the stairwell, concealing himself from view around the bend of the wall. He had been his way down the stairs when he heard Juvia’s voice and stopped dead in his tracks. She had left a short while earlier, but he expected her to be gone by now. However, she was still in the lobby of the inn. He had to stop and wait until the whole scene progressed and concluded before he could get on with his plan, which was to follow Juvia. Of course now he had a full scope of what was going on, It was pretty obvious that this guy was trying to pull something and Gray didn’t like it. With all of his gushing and compliments, and bringing her flowers. That wasn’t his job! But who’s job was it? Gray’s? He wasn’t really sure at that moment, but it sure wasn’t that guy’s! Ojo, or whatever his name was. Big dumb yokel, more like it. Yeah, hehheh. That sounds about right.

“Dammit,” he mumbled to himself. “I better get moving.” He realized that he best be on his way to catch up to them before they got too far ahead. Of course, he didn’t want to be too close behind, as he didn’t want to get caught. He wanted to keep a watchful eye, but he had to be careful. He made his way the rest of the way down the stairs and through the lobby, hastily greeting Mrs. Campbell and her daughter before heading out the door. He had learned earlier that day that they liked to talk A LOT, and ask A LOT of questions. The sooner he got out of there the better. If he hung around there, his cover was sure to be blown.

Gray walked up the street, looking around for a sign for the restaurant, but saw nothing in sight. Being that they had walked there, he knew that it couldn’t be very far. Ojo had said as much. He wished he had had a chance to scout it out beforehand, but he couldn’t take the chance of Juvia seeing him coming and going from his room. It was unfortunate, in that respect, that he was across the hall from her because it meant that he had to be extra careful about being found out. Of course, the upside was that he was able to tell when she was coming and going. Just then he saw an old man sitting on a bench outside of a general store. 

“Excuse me, could you tell me where Miss Saidy’s Cookin’ Pot is?” Gray asked the man politely.  
The old man tilted up the brim of his hat and looked Gray up and down, inspecting him thoroughly. It was clear that the man didn’t exactly approve of what he saw. It was quite easy to tell from Gray’s attire that he was from out of town and he stuck out like a sore thumb. 

“Not from ‘round here, are ya?” the man asked in a slow drawl, looking him over again, crossing his arms over his chest. Gray sighed. He wasn’t looking for any trouble, so he needed to keep his cool.

“No Sir, just visiting and heard Miss Saidy’s is the best place in town so I thought I’d check it out. Could you point me in the right direction?” he said as pleasantly as he could, forcing a cheerful smile. 

The old man looked at him skeptically and didn’t speak for a few moments, shifted in his seat and then cleared his throat. “Round the corner there and then straight on ahead. Can’t miss it.”

“Thank you, Sir. Have a nice evening!”

“Mmhmm.”

Gray continued on and rounded the corner and headed up the street in a hurry. He passed a few people along the way, doing his best not to bump into anyone in his haste. Soon enough he saw the sign for Miss Saidy’s. He was finally reaching his destination. Now he just had to manage to get seated close enough to Juvia to keep an eye on things, but not so close that his cover was blown. He wasn’t really sure how the hell he was going to pull this one off.

The walk to Miss Saidy’s had been rather pleasant, the sky a soft golden hue as the sun settled down for the day, highlighted by tones of pink and orange. The evening air was crisp, but pleasant, making the thin shawl she wore over her shoulders the perfect accessory. They had met a couple of shopkeepers and townspeople along the way. Ojo-sama had introduced her to Mr. and Mrs. Otis at the general store, and the Perkins at the feed shop. There were so many lovely people in the town that made her feel so welcome. It was hard not to feel right at home even though she had only been here a very short time. It was kind of funny when she thought about it. Though when she thought about it, it seemed to slip from her mind as quickly as it came and she became distracted again. 

When they reached Miss Saidy’s they were seated by Miss Saidy herself at a table that gave them the view of nearly the whole restaurant, save the other side of the wooden post that was next to them. It was grand in a very homey kind of way, decked out in Western decor. There were bright, bold patterns on everything, and the furniture was made of heavy, dark wood. There were clay pots and paintings of eagles and horses. Large wagon wheel chandeliers hung from the ceiling and vases filled with large sunflowers sat on every table. Juvia loved it! It was so charming! Miss Saidy was a portly woman with a warm and vibrant disposition. She had a loud, booming voice and welcomed them with gusto and fervor. Her personality filled up the whole room with warmth and welcome. 

“Evening youngins! Ya’ll take your time in deciding, no rush no rush. Miss Saidy will be here to take your order when you’re ready!” she announced, smiling broadly as she handed them menus. Juvia couldn’t help but smile in return. What a lovely woman. 

“Why thank ya, Miss Saidy. Much obliged,” Ojo said, giving her a nod.

“Yes, thank you very much,” Juvia said politely, nodding as well.

The woman worked her way away from the table and tended to other customers. Juvia  
opened the menu and started to look it over. Ojo cleared his throat and she looked up at him. 

“Order anything you like, Miss Juvia. This here is my treat, you know,” he said, his voice shaking a little. He smiled shyly and nervously adjust his tie. She found his awkwardness to be quite endearing. It was quite sweet in a way. Juvia smiled.

“Thank you, Ojo. I very much appreciate your hospitality. You have been very kind to me,” she said warmly. Her gaze shifted back to the menu and scanned over the list of items. “There are so many things to choose from! I’m not sure which to choose!”

After some deliberation and some suggestions from Ojo, Juvia made her choices and they were left waiting for their order. As they sat there, Juvia looked around the restaurant and saw a few familiar faces from their walk over here. She also saw Cooper from the jobsite with a woman she assumed was his wife or girlfriend. Eventually her eyes fell upon Ojo again and she found he was gazing at her. She blushed a bit as he looked at her and then she noticed him blushing.

“Gosh I’m sorry Miss Juvia, I don’t mean to stare. I just never seen someone so beautiful as you. And there’s just somethin’ special about you, I can’t help myself,” Ojo admitted, his cheeks flushed. 

This only caused her blush to deepen “ Goodness Ojo, you certainly are very open with your feelings. It’s not something I’m accustomed to, I suppose. It’s rather refreshing, really.” She smiled at him, trying to show him that she wasn’t upset by his admission. 

There was suddenly a loud clanking sound coming from the other side of the wooden post. Distracted for a moment, Juvia glanced in that direction but her attention was quickly called back by Ojo. 

“I’m real glad to hear that Miss Juvia because I think you’re just wonderful, you know that? And I think someone as wonderful as you should be told that every day!” he went on, smiling adoringly at her.  
“Miss Juvia, can I ask you something a bit on the personal side?”

She hesitated a moment, looking at him, and then nodded. “Go ahead…”

“Do you have a special fella back home?” Ojo asked, staring at her with great earnest and hope in his eyes. It was very clear what he hoped the answer to be. Juvia winced and hesitated again. How was she to answer a question like that? Of course Gray-sama was special to her, of course she still loved him with all her heart… but was he hers? No.. most decidedly not. He had made that abundantly clear.

“Well...you see...it’s rather complicated… um.. Hm… well.. Technically… no,”she stammered out. Another loud crashing sound and a yelp came from the neighboring table. Furrowing her brow and trying to maintain focus, she look at Ojo, her cheeks pink with a blush. 

Ojo frowned a bit and looked confused. He looked back at her with a searching expression, trying to figure out what she meant. She realized that she might need to clarifying just what she meant. 

“You see… there is someone I care for,” she explained her voice wavering a little, “However, he does not return my affections.” As she explained it, she felt tears forming in her eyes. She had known this to be true for a long time, but admitting it out loud to another person was far more painful than admitting it to herself. It made it all the more real and all the more raw. A single tear trickled down her cheek. She heard Ojo gasp.

“Oh goodness Miss Juvia! I didn’t mean to be makin’ you cry and all! I’m sorry. I was just curious and all cuz well, I wanted to say, if I had a girl like you, I’d be tellin her every day how special and wonderful she was. Cuz you deserve that Miss Juvia, you deserve nothin’ but the best! And I can’t believe some fella is so dumb as to refuse your affections! What kind of idiot that guy must be! Makes me right angry that he goes around making you cry,” Ojo prattled on, taking Juvia’s hand and patting it gently. “Don’t you worry Miss Juvia I’ll make sure you got no reason to cry while you’re here in Montil.”

Juvia smiled a little, moved by Ojo’s kindness, but before she could say anything there was a flash of movement and suddenly someone was standing next to their table. Juvia’s eyes shifted upward and her heart skipped a beat as her mind tried wrapping around the scene before her. Was that….? Did he…? No… certainly he hadn’t come all this way and… that was preposterous! But there was no mistaking…

“Gray?”

***

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she said his name aloud, their eyes locked upon each other. He couldn’t stand it for another second. Hearing that guy gushing over her, telling her he’d make her smile and all the other junk. It was making him sick to his stomach. And that was after she said she didn’t have anyone special! What was he all the sudden?! Chopped liver?? Though she had admitted that she had feelings for someone that didn’t reciprocate them.. But that wasn’t even true! He had just been too scared to admit it.. Ugh. All he knew was that he couldn’t take anymore of this guy’s bullshit. He was after something and Gray didn’t like how he was throwing himself at Juvia like that. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

“You can drop her hand now, buddy,” he said to Ojo, not breaking his gaze with Juvia. She just kept staring at him, not really giving any indication as to what her response was. Was she happy to see him? Was she angry that he was there? He really couldn’t tell.

“Miss Juvia?” he questioned, obviously, confused, still holding Juvia’s hand. This only annoyed Gray more. This time Gray looked right at him. 

“I said you can drop her hand. And she doesn’t need you to make her smile. She’s already got someone to do that,” he said through gritted teeth. 

Ojo’s brow furrowed and he looked as though he were about to make a retort when Juvia stood up and raised her hand. He nodded and backed down. 

“Gray-sama, what are you doing here?” Juvia asked, her voice shaking. 

He turned back to face her. “Honestly? I had a bad feeling when you up and left the way you did so I came after you. It’s not like you to just take off without telling me. I had a funny feeling about this job when I heard you took it, so I came after you. And from everything I’ve heard, it sounds like I’m right.”

She frowned at him, tilting her head a little. She didn’t speak for a moment and then furrowed her brow. “So did Gray-sama come because he was worried about Juvia or because he was worried Juvia could not complete the job?”

Gray shifted uncomfortably on his feet and ran his fingers through his hair. He hadn’t been expecting such an on the spot question right off the bat. She certainly knew how to get straight to the point, didn’t she? 

“Well, uh, you know.. I wanted to make sure things were going to go okay on the job and that you were okay and everything, you know…” he stammered, his explanation turning quite feeble. 

Her eyes narrowed and her cheeks went pink. “Gray-sama cannot even admit he is worried about Juvia! You come all this way and embarrass me in front of all these nice people while I’m out to dinner with Ojo-sama, away on my own job! You barge in and make a scene just like always, but still you cannot even admit that much! Juvia is tired of these games Gray-sama!” she cried, her voice cracking and shaking with anger. 

Gray winced and frowned deeply. He deserved her anger and he knew it.

“Juvia, I’m sorry okay? I’m an idiot. Can we just go somewhere and talk?” Gray asked, reaching for her arm, but she pulled away from him, shaking her head. 

“No Gray-sama, not right now. Juvia needs time to think. Please excuse me,” she said as she pushed past him, tears streaming down her face. “Ojo-sama, I will return to the Inn now. Please don’t worry about escorting me back. I will see myself home.” 

And within moments she was gone. Gray stood there for a moment, feeling every pair of eyes in the house on him, hearing the whispers rise up all around him. He sighed and shook his head. His gaze met Ojo’s, who gave him a hard glare. Shrugging it off, he went to the counter to paid for his uneaten food and left the restaurant. The best thing for him to do right now was to take a long walk before heading back to inn. That would give Juvia a chance to get in and get settled. One thing was for sure, he was the last person she wanted to see right now.


	6. Confusion

Gray walked through the town as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a myriad of colors over the evening sky. It really was quite beautiful. He would have loved to have shared this moment with Juvia, but of course he had totally blown that. Why could he have just admitted that he was there because he was worried about her? That he was jealous and following her around… Why couldn't he tell her that it killed him to see her smiling like that at another man? All of it was true, but he just couldn't seem to get it out. He stopped for a moment and looked around. The town wasn't large so he was getting to a more rural area. It looked like an area that might have been used for fields and planting. Not far off there looked to be a work site close to some nearby hills.

Sighing he turned around and headed back toward the town. He would have to head back to the inn eventually. It didn't look like there was much to the night life in this little podunk place. Maybe there was at least a bar he could get a drink… a couple of scotches straight up sounded really good about now. Gray sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets, grimacing as he thought about Juvia sitting alone in her room back at the inn. She was probably crying her eyes out… He hated the thought of that. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and comfort her. But it was his fault that she was crying.. Again. It seemed that all he did these days was make her cry. Though the solution was pretty simple… admit his damn feelings and give her the love she deserved. If just just did that and stopped toying with her heart then she wouldn't be left wondering and waiting for him. Gray sighed to himself again.

He kept walking for awhile until he hit the edge of town again where he came across a couple of old men sitting on a bench. He inquired about a place to grab and beer and they told him about a pub in town that had "the best mead this side of Fiore". They highly recommended the establishment and urged Gray to check it out. He gladly took their advice and headed straight for it, eager to find some way to distract himself and relieve a little of this tension. He needed to sit and think about how he was going to handle this. It was going to take more than a few sweet words to make this up to Juvia. If he didn't want to lose her, he was going to have some serious work to do.

***

Juvia had arrived at the inn rather visibly upset and slightly disheveled after having walked back from the restaurant in such an emotional state. Mrs. Campbell and Jasmine saw that she was crying and rushed to her side, their voices filled with surprise and concern.

"Miss Juvia! What's the matter? Are you alright?"

"What's wrong my dear?! What has happened?"

Juvia did her best to hold what little resolve she had at the moment to maintain her composure, but her emotions had already betrayed her. Tears were already trickling from the corners of her eyes and her eye makeup was smudged from the crying she had already done. But she didn't want to unravel completely in their presence. That was something she needed to save for private moment. So for now she must do her best to maintain herself. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and shook her head.

"Oh I'm fine, really. Please excuse me. I just came down with a bit of stomach sickness. I think I just need to lay down for a bit," Juvia said hurriedly, waving them off, making her way to the stairs as quickly as possible. The blue haired mage disappeared upstairs as quickly as she had come in the door.

Jasmine stopped and looked at her mother. "Mama, what's wrong with Miss Juvia? Do you think we should check on her?" The young girl looked panicked and concerned for her new friend. Something awful must have happened for Juvia to come rushing in like that, seemingly out of nowhere.

Mrs. Campbell smiled sadly and shook her head, walking over to her daughter and putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders and rubbing them gently, to consoling the girl a little. It was clear she had become upset by seeing Juvia so distraught. She had a feeling there was more to this than they were privy to, and that it might have something to do with the handsome young stranger that had showed up in town not a day after Miss Juvia Lockser had come to town. And it was only all the convenient that he happened to go out for dinner right after Ojo had taken Juvia out. She had wondered about the young man when he checked in and had noticed the emblem of the Fairy Tail guild when the young man had, for some strange reason, stripped off his jacket and shirt while waiting in the lobby. She hadn't made mention of it to Miss Lockser, and now she saw that perhaps she should have.

"No dear, let her be for now. I'll send up some tea in a little while," Mrs. Campbell said softly, patting Jasmine's shoulder. Her daughter looked at her, her big doe eyes wet with tears of concern. "Don't worry dear. Miss Juvia will be just fine, you'll see. We'll take care of her."

Upstairs, Juvia had reached her room and proceeded to change into something more comfortable, trying to keep her composure, but again her emotions betrayed her. Before she could even get her pajama tops over her head, tears began streaming down her face freely, and they came more steadily still. The tears flowed and flowed, her body wracked with sobs as she changed her clothes and tried to get the makeup off her face. She looked in the mirror, her mascara and eye makeup smeared, leaving her to look like a pitiful mess. This only made her cry harder. The more she tried to stop, the harder she sobbed. As she sobbed, rain began to fall outside. The skies were clouded dark gray, blocking out any light from the moon or stars, blackening the sky.

Somehow she managed to finish changing her clothes and didn't bother with the rest of her makeup. She was too upset to think about any of it. Still sobbing, she stumbled blindly to the bed, falling to it and burying her face into the pillows. She cried and cried, her heart aching as she thought about the look on his face. Why couldn't he just say it? He had come all that way… he had interrupted her dinner with Ojo.. but he still couldn't say it! It was like she wasn't worth it… would she ever be worth it? All she wanted was for him to be honest with her… If he wanted her, then say so! If he didn't then stop playing with her heart! She couldn't explain how she felt the moment she saw him. The mix of emotions was so great that it confused her.

In one sense she was shocked to see him standing there, especially to see him making such demands. Part of her was affronted that he had the audacity to show up like that and just interrupt like some kind of uncultured brute. She thought him to be more well-mannered than that. After all, she was here to separate herself and get some space so she could get over him. Or in the very least get her head straight so she could deal with his constant rejection. At the same time, part of her was happy to see him.. He had come all this way… it had to mean something! He wouldn't come all this way and follow her out on her dinner date with Ojo and act so jealously if he didn't feel something for her! Yet he still stumbled over his words and couldn't even admit that he was there because he was worried about her… he couldn't bring himself to do it. It hurt more than words could say. Did he understand that? Did he understand how much more it hurt her that he had come all this way and STILL failed to admit even the smallest bit of feelings for her? It made it look as though he simply thought she was incapable of handling a job on her own. If that was the case, why had he come all this way? And why had he acted the way he did? It all repeated in her head over and over again, playing the scene out in her memory. The look on his face had said enough.. Yet still… She just didn't understand! Why!?

*** 

Gray followed the old timer's instructions and found his way to the pub a short distance away. It had started raining while he was walking. It was typical rain either.. It was heavy, dense rain that fell in thick sheets. The sky was completely black and covered in dark, ominous clouds. He knew this rain… this was Juvia's rain. His heart cringed as he thought about her alone in her room, crying her eyes out. That would be the only reason the rain was as heavy as it was. The only thing he really wanted to do was rush to her side and comfort her, but she had said she wanted some space. He had already embarrassed her by making a scene at the restaurant and then failed to even give her the slightest bit of a valid reason for doing so. Gray knew why she was so upset. He honestly hadn't expected her to storm out the way she had. Or at least he had hoped that wasn't how she would respond. Of course, had he just admitted why he was really there, then he might not be walking alone in the rain right now. And she definitely wouldn't be alone, crying her eyes out .. She might be a little upset with him for showing up, but knowing Juvia, she would at least understand that he had come out of concern because he.. Well because he felt so strongly about her.

"Dammit, can't even say it to myself," he mumbled frustratedly as he came to the outside of the pub.

"Jack's Waterin' Hole" Gray murmured to himself. "Man, everything in this town really gets into the down home country theme doesn't it? Whatever. I need a drink."

He entered the pub and saw a number of locals had taken refuge from the rain inside as well. Or perhaps it was normal for this many of them to be gathered at the pub at this hour. Regardless, he just needed a stiff drink and quiet corner to do a little thinking. Ignoring the stares and muffled chattered that surrounded his arrival, he sidled up to the bar and waited for the barkeep to turn his direction. The bartender was a friendly looking older man with a great white beard and head that was as bald as a cue ball. He greeted Gray with a hearty laugh and grin.

"Greetings, stranger. What brings you in t'night?" the bearded man asked, his tone genuine and friendly.

"Just here to have a drink," Gray replied, grimacing.

"You're a newcomer ain'tcha? What can I get you, young man? Our house mead is famous in these parts, you know!" the man said with a great laugh.

"Nah, I think I'll have something a little stronger. Double scotch, straight up."

The man laughed again and nodded. "You take your drink as serious as the expression on that face of yours I see, young man. Double scotch it is. Coming right up!"

A few moments later Gray had his drink. He thanked the man, put down some jewel and began to sip the scotch, staring blankly at the wall as he did so. He was doing his best to tune out the noise from the rest of the bar.

"Seems as though something is troubling you, young man. Might I ask you what has you so wound up?" the bearded man asked, standing in front of Gray as he idly dried a clean mug with a bar towel. Gray looked up and stared at him blankly. Was this guy kidding? He didn't know him, so why would he tell him anything?! Gray barely talked to his close friends about personal issues, let alone perfect strangers. He wasn't the type to fall into the stereotype of crying over his drink to the bartender. That wasn't his M.O. at all.

"Uh, no offense, but you're a total stranger, so I don't really feel comfortable getting personal, you know?" Gray said, trying to sound as polite as possible. Though he was attempting to sound polite, his cool demeanor always made his tone sound a bit more icy than he mind intend. But the man just chuckled and shook his head. He put down the mug and offered a hand to Gray.

"Name's Jack. And who might you be, son?"

Gray frowned a little, furrowing his brow, looking at the hand offered to him. He couldn't help but like this guy. Something about him seemed so real and sincere. Maybe it was because this place was untouched by the appeal charms that were put on the rest of the town. This place and this man were just as they were- what you see is what you get. After a moment of contemplation, Gray accepted his offer and shook his hand.

"Name's Gray. So is this your 'Waterin' Hole' ?"

Jack chuckled again, nodding. " Sure is, young Gray. Been running this place some 40 years. Seen plenty of folks come and go. Friends and strangers alike. So what brought you all the way out here? I suspect it must be a girl. A special girl at that,"

Gray frowned again and nodded. "Yeah… actually, it was. A really special girl. But I messed up, big time." He sighed deeply and took a long swig of his drink.

Jack smiled sympathetically. "Ah c'mon now, I'm sure she'll forgive you if you apologize. Sometimes they just need a little time and once you show 'em you're sincere an' all, they usually come right around."

Gray shook his head and then shrugged. "I dunno.. She's pretty upset. But I want to make it up to her. She deserves better than what I've given her."

"You're damn right she deserves better, and you ain't gonna be the one to give it to her!" said a voice from behind him. Gray choked on his drink and then whipped around to see Ojo standing there, glaring at him.

"Listen buddy, you can't go around saying who's doing to be doing what for Juvia. You don't even know her!" Gray said heatedly, getting up from his barstool.

Ojo stepped toward him, fists clenched. Several men in the bar had gone silent now and were watching the scene unfold in front of them. No one said a word of intervened. Ojo was a great deal taller and larger than Gray, and it was clear that his reputation preceded him. While he was known to be a bit of a gentle giant, he was also known to be fiercely protective of those he cared about, especially those of a the female persuasion. His brow was furrowed, his broad shoulders hunched up in anger. Gray wasn't intimidated in the least.

"Well you ain't got no right makin' Miss Juvia cry! She was doing just fine before you done gone and showed up! And now where is she? Gone off to cry her eyes out, no doubt! A beautiful angel like that deserves a man that will cherish her and love her for the wonderful woman she is!" Ojo spouted through clenched teeth.

Gray quirked an eyebrow up. This guy was already obsessed with Juvia and Gray didn't like it. There was something eerie about it. Sure Juvia had been pretty obsessive with him over the years and he had been weirded out by it, but that was moreso his having intimacy and trust issues. There had always been a sincerity and innocence about her love for Gray. But this guy was making some pretty bold claims when he had only known Juvia for no more than a day. And on top of that, who the hell did Ojo think he was?! It was HIS girl this overgrown redneck was talking about, not some random girl off the street. No way he was getting away with that.

"That's between me and Juvia, and we'll work that out when she's ready. Far as I'm concerned it's none of your damn business. So you should just mind yourself big guy, if you know what's good for ya," Gray said dryly, his brow furrowed, staring Ojo down.

"You don't deserve Miss Juvia and her affections! Her head has already be trampled by you enough! Now you best be gettin' out of town before I see you out myself!" the farmer warned, taking a step toward Gray. The ice mage held his ground, undaunted by the other man's movements.

"Now Ojo, I won't be havin' any brawls in my establishment! You know very well this here is a no fightin' zone!" Jack called out, waving his arms in the arm, trying to dissuade the two men from taking it any further. The two stared at each other, expression hard and unwavering, both determined to hold their position. Neither was about to back down.

"Yeah, listen to ol' Jack, Ojo and stay out of my face. I don't need you or anyone else telling me what to do or how to handle my affairs. And as far as Juvia goes, you don't know the first thing about what she needs. Leave that to someone that actually knows her and cares about her. She can make decisions for herself, she's a big girl," Gray spat, turning back to the bar to return to his drink.

He downed the rest of it, thanked Jack for his hospitality and pushed past Ojo to leave the bar, walking into the rain again. The showers had let up some but the sky was still pitch black, no sign of the moon or stars. He knew that meant she was still pretty upset. Hunching his shoulders, he jammed his hands into his jacket pockets and headed back toward the inn.

***

Juvia sat on her bed, blowing her nose for the dozenth time. She sniffled and took a deep breath, shuddering a little as a small sob escaped her. She reached for the cup that sat on the small tea cart in front of her. Mrs. Campbell had been kind enough to send up some tea and biscuits for her a short while earlier. The tea had a warming, calming effect, helping to soothe her tumultuous emotions. The rain outside was uncharacteristic of this region, but it had come on so strongly because Juvia was upset. It had been some time since she had brought forth a storm of this magnitude. She hiccuped a little after sipping the tea, sniffling again and wiping her nose with a tissue. There was a light rap at the door and Mrs. Campbell's voice came just after it.

"Miss Lockser, I just wanted to come up and make sure you were alright, dear," she said softly, her voice filled with concern.

Juvia felt bad for leaving them so much in the dark. The innkeeper and her daughter had been very kind to her and it wasn't fair to have rushed off the way she did. She got up and crossed the room to the door, opening it slowly. She was greeted with the kind, smiling face of Mrs. Campbell. The water mage looked back at her with puffy eyes and flushed cheeks. It was quite evident that she had spent the last few hours crying. The woman felt a great deal of sympathy for the young wizard. She simply could not help but want to come to this young woman's aid.

"Oh you poor thing! Is there anything at all I can do for you?" she asked urgently, clasping her hands together. Juvia stepped aside and invited the woman into her room. Mrs. Campbell stepped into the room and put a hand on Juvia shoulder. "You poor dear. May I ask what has you so upset?"

Juvia sniffled and sighed. "I'm afraid it is complicated matters of the heart that vex me Mrs. Campbell. I had come to on this job in hopes of escaping my woes, however they seemed to have followed me here."

The older woman smiled sympathetically, taking Juvia's hand and patting it gently. She couldn't help but inquire further.

"Does this have to do with the handsome dark haired young man that's staying here as well?"

Juvia looked surprised, taken aback by the woman's question.

"Why yes it does! How did you know?"

"Well dear, we don't get many visitors to these parts this time of year especially, so it doesn't take much to put two and two together," she said gently, looking at Juvia.

Juvia nodded, sniffling again. "Yes, that's Gray-sama. He's a ...well a friend, I suppose… from home. We are members of the same guild. I feel quite strongly for him, but he has yet to return my affections. I've been given the impressions that he will not do so, but then he confuses me greatly by doing things as he has done now… showing up here, unannounced. He knew that I had left on an official job for the guild, and he came and secretly followed me. He acted quite jealous of Ojo-sama, but then could not even admit that he was so! Oh boys are so confusing!"

She poured her heart out to the older woman, unable to contain herself any longer, tears streaming down her cheeks once again. The motherly innkeeper led her to the edge of the bed where they both sat down. Mrs. Campbell continued to consolingly pat Juvia's hand, shaking her head.

"Some men are fickle creatures, my dear. One moment they want to give you the moon and stars, the next moment they're gone like the wind! But all the same, there are some good ones out there, I assure you," she said kindly, smiling at Juvia.

Juvia considered what she said and nodded a bit, "Well yes, I suppose that can be true. I do know there are some good people in the world. Gray-sama is not a bad person… he has been quite fickle, however. I just wish he would make up his mind and tell me where he really stands. That's all that Juvia wants! Is that too much to ask?"

"Well my dear, it might be too much to ask from some men. But take a man like Ojo for instance. That's a good man for you. Good hearted, honest, caring, reliable. That's the kind of man you want. Not someone who's fickle and plays with your heart. That one is just all games, you see. That much is very clear. You deserve better than that, dear," the innkeeper went on.

Juvia frowned, shrugging a little, "Well yes, I would prefer otherwise, but I don't think Gray-sama aims to play games. He struggles with expressing his emotions. I think perhaps he is scared...I just wish he trusted me enough! Maybe I haven't done enough to show him that my love for him is true…"

"Now it's not my place to say dear, but I hate to see you so upset. I think you should get yourself a nice hot bath with some of those essential oils on the counter there and relax. And then get a good night of sleep. I'm sure you have another big day ahead of you. Don't you worry about using water, either. We have that all taken care of," Mrs. Campbell said, standing up and smiling at Juvia again. "I'm sure Ojo will be by to collect you first thing, and you want to be bright as sunflower for him now don't you? You just take care of yourself now, dear."

Juvia politely smiled and nodded. "Yes, thank you Mrs. Campbell. Perhaps I will take a bath, that sounds quite nice right now. And thank you for listening, I appreciate your time."

The innkeeper nodded and patted her arm. "Yes dear, any time. I'll see you in the morning, Miss Lockser."

Juvia closed the door and crossed back over to the bed and sat down again. Her talk with Mrs. Campbell had left her a little confused. She wasn't quite sure what to think right now. But a bath did sound nice. She drew herself a bath and had a nice long soak, letting some of her stress melt away, the soothing scents of the essential oils wafting up in the steam of the bath, stimulating her senses. She seemed to all but forget what had been troubling her.

Once she was done with her bath, she returned to her room and prepared for bed. Unbeknownst to her outside the room, someone had been pacing for quite a long while. And this certain someone had overheard the entirety of the conversation she had had with the innkeeper a short while earlier. He had been mulling over something very important, waiting for sounds of her stirring before he did anything else at all.

Juvia heard a soft knock at the door looked up in surprise. She approached it gingerly, not completely sure who might be on the other side. But given the hour, she had a sneaking suspicion as to who it might be. She hesitated and then there was another soft knock. Before she could reach for the handle a muffled voice came from the other side.

"Hey Juvia...I dunno if you can hear me but it's Gray. I was a total jerk, and I really messed up. I'm really sorry Juves… but I'm gonna make it up to you, I promise, okay? I just hope you're okay and not still cryin' and stuff… Sleep well and sweet dreams.." he said through the door.

Juves. Once she heard him say that, it was like something snapped her to attention. She had almost forgotten… he did have a pet name for her. It was quite simple and just an alternate version of her name, but she loved it all the same. He had started calling her that when they were living together… She had always thought it was cute and it made her smile when he called her that. He still called her that when they were alone or whenever he was in a more lighthearted mood. While she was still upset by the course of events of the night, her heart softened a little. She cracked the door ever so slightly and peeked out, seeing him walk away.

"Goodnight Gray-sama," she said quietly before snapping the door shut again, smiling a little to herself. She had closed the door too quickly to catch that a small smile that had come to the ice mage's lips, as well. As she climbed into bed, she could see the night sky through the curtains and a few stars could be seen peeking out from behind the dark clouds.

***

"This ain't no good Ojo, ain't no good at all, ya hear?" Mayor Romsdale grumbled, his tone a mix of anger and frustration. "We can't be having some outsider interfere in my plan. I need this problem to be taken care of right away!"

The large man paced the floor in front of his large desk, worried over this new development that had come to town. He stopped and looked at Ojo, who was standing a short distance away, grimacing worriedly.

"I done told him to get out of town, but ol' Jack gone and broke us up. I'da taken 'em out myself if I could have, but he took off back to the inn before I could even get a chance to. Why I wanted to take a good swing at him for upsettin' Miss Juvia. I have a feelin' he's the varmit that done broke her heart in the first place, and he don't deserve her none anyway!" Ojo growled, stomping his foot, fists clenched.

"Well that's just the problem, isn't it Ojo? He's in both our way, ain't he? That ice wizard could mean a whole heap of trouble for me, and he's in the way of you and your lovely lady now ain't he? So the solution seems simple to me…" Mayor Romsdale said darkly, smiling at the simple oafish farmer.

Ojo looked up at him, wide eyed, his anger melting away for a moment. "Why Sir, you don't mean…"

"Yes I do mean that, you great big dolt! I mean exactly that," the mayor spat back at him.

Ojo shook his head and waved his hands in front of him in protest. "No sir, I won't go doin' nothin' like that. I do just about anything else you ask of me, sir, but I ain't doin' nothin' like that!"

"You listen here boy, you will do as you're told. I took you and your mother in when you had nowhere else to go, and the moment she passed away her debt to me passed on to you. Do you understand that? I hold all the right to your land, your equipment, everything you have. Now you WILL listen to what I tell you and I will have no arguments about it! Now you gonna respect your dear departed mama, my dear sister and listen up? I want you perform one task-

Exterminate Gray Fullbuster."


	7. Searching for Answers

That night as Juvia curled up beneath the thick quilt that covered her bed, she thought about Gray a few rooms over, and wondered if he was settling in for the night. She couldn’t help but wonder if he too was laying in bed, maybe thinking about her. The thought of that made her smile as she nestled against the fluffy pillow, pushing her hair from her face. Of course things weren’t to be so simply settled between them… they certainly did need to have a serious talk. Juvia was tired of the run-around, as they called it. It was high time that Gray-sama give her some answers and they make some sort of progress in their relationship, whether that be as lovers or friends. If he didn’t want to be with her then she needed to know so that she could move on with her life. If he did want to be with her then she was more than willing to go down that road with him. She had always been open about the fact that she was madly in love with him and that she wanted to spend the rest of her life at his side. That desire had only strengthened over time. It had been very difficult for her to resist forgiving him straight away, to have simply rushed after him after he left her door. But she knew she had to show some resolve. She needed to stand up for herself and her feelings. At the same time, while she wasn’t exactly happy with the circumstances, she still loved him and wanted to make amends with him. She knew he was sincere when he apologized and that he really meant it when he said he wanted to make it up to her. It was a very confusing position to be in, and she knew that she would have to handle it carefully. 

As she lay there waiting for sleep to overtake her, she thought about the first time Gray had ever called her “Juves”. It was a rather fond memory that she held quite dear and was a thought she often dwelled on when she was feeling down. It had been her birthday and she was used to letting it pass like any other day. Her childhood had been filled with many lonely birthdays, and after many occassions of other children not accepting her birthday party invitations, she had given up on celebrating with anyone. The uncle she lived with was always busy working, so he never had much time for her to begin with. Her birthday was really no different. So she made it a habit to just let it go by without much notice. The only thing she ever did was make herself a special breakfast, something like pancakes or french toast. While she was living with Gray, she had never mentioned her birthday, so he had no idea that it was that day at all.

She stood at the stove, humming to herself while she made her favorite breakfast confection, blueberry pancakes. It was quite early in the morning and she was in a good mood today. Normally she spent her birthday alone, but at least she would be with Gray-sama while they trained today. That was better than spending the entire day alone any day. She didn’t even care that they would probably be working ridiculously hard and she would probably end the day a bit more battered and bruised than she had started. It was all worth it because it meant she would grow stronger, and the best thing of all was that she would do it while she was at his side. While they might not be in a romantic relationship, sharing a home with him was a dream come true. Just having this arrangement made her happy because it meant that he was close by. 

She heard noise coming from behind her and glanced back over her shoulder to see Gray stumbling into the kitchen. It was unusually early for him to be awake, but it was a pleasant surprise for her. This meant she might even get to share her birthday breakfast with him! This day was getting better by the moment!

“Good morning, Gray-sama! You’re up early today!” she chirped cheerfully, flashing him a smile before returning to tending to her pancakes. She heard him yawn and groan as he stretched.

“Yeah well somethin’ smelled really good. What’re you making?” he said, making his way toward to the stove, glancing curiously over her shoulder. She stiffened a little as he drew closer. She could hear his breath and feel the warmth of his body as he stood close to her, inspecting her work. She couldn’t help but blush.

“Oh well um..I.. I- I’m just making some blueberry pancakes for breakfast!” she stammered, then laughing nervously. 

The ice mage quirked up an eyebrow, but smiled a little. “Blueberry pancakes, huh? Aren’t blueberries like, your favorite? What’s the occasion?”

She looked at him, momentarily stunned that he had even remembered that she liked blueberries in the first place. It took a few minutes before she could manage to speak and answer his question. She had spent so many hours idly talking his ear off, she never really imagined that he had absorbed much of what she said. Generally she chattered on to fill the silence that she was usually met with when they were sitting around the guild and others weren’t present. 

“Juvia?”

“Oh! Yes.. yes they are! Gray-sama remembered… Anyway, um, well, I always make a special breakfast of sorts on my birthday and this year I decided on blueberry pancakes. Usually I’m alone and so I just make enough for myself, but I’m happy to make some for the both of us if Gray-sama will join me! It would make for a perfect birthday breakfast!” she said happily, turning slightly to look at him again. She had somewhat expected to see him smiling but instead saw him scowling.

“Gray-sama? What’s wrong?” 

“It’s your birthday? Why didn’t you tell me??” he asked incredulously, staring at her. He sounded upset. She didn’t quite understand. 

“Well, Juvia usually celebrates her birthday alone, so I didn’t think about it. But this year I get to spend it with Gray-sama! That’s quite enough for me!” she said with a smile.

“No way, that’s not gonna cut it. We’re doin’ something for your birthday, dammit.” he said, frowning deeply.

Juvia blushed. She hadn’t expected this reaction from him at all. She figured that they would have a quiet breakfast and get on with their day of training. But it seemed he had something else in mind. 

“Well, we can at least enjoy the breakfast I am preparing, no?” she asked, looking at him.

The ice mage nodded and shifted over to area of the counter that held the coffee maker, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out two mugs. He proceeded to prepare them each a cup of coffee- his black, and hers with just a bit of a sugar and a swig of cream. He always got her coffee just right. He offered the mug to her as she cooked, sipping his own as he leaned against the counter, watching her prepare the pancakes. They chatted casually as she continued to cook, making the work go by quite quickly. Soon after they sat down to breakfast and enjoyed the enormous pile of fluffy pancakes that Juvia had expertly prepared, talking and laughing together, Gray making little jokes and saying silly things that made her laugh. Juvia was absolutely delighted. He’d even gone to the fridge to retrieve a small can of whipped cream and squirted some on the top of her pancakes, grinning at her all the while. Delighted, she dug into the pancakes, beaming at him. Everything was so perfect… she had never had a better birthday! She was so caught up in the moment that she didn’t notice the little smudge of whipped cream on the tip of her nose.

“Jeez Juves, you’re supposed to eat your food, not wear it,” he teased, reaching across and wiping the smudge of cream off with his finger and then bringing it to his lips. She blushed bright crimson, unable to do anything but giggle like a lovelorn schoolgirl. He was calling her by a pet name now? How exciting!

Juves. That was new...but she liked it. It was cute.. And that smile! Oh his lovely, glorious smile! It was a rare sight indeed, but today it was coming out in spades. He was being so warm, so genial. Not that he was always cold and indifferent toward her.. Especially not since they had lived together. Gray-sama was just naturally a cool customer. He wasn’t one to go around grinning like an idiot for no reason at all. When he smiled it meant something.. It was was real and sincere. So seeing him like this was a special treat and it made her feel so special, so cared for. They continued on with breakfast, enjoying themselves fully. 

When they had finished breakfast and got ready for the day, Gray announced that their training for the day was cancelled and he was going to take her out for a day of fun. The day followed with a trip to the botanical gardens, a lovely lunch at an upscale cafe, stopping into a few of Juvia’s favorite shops, followed by ice cream at the local sweet shoppe and bakery. Gray made a special arrangement with the staff at the bakery and they came out to sing Happy Birthday to her, and there was a cupcake with a candle in it that accompanied her sundae. It was a wonderful day filled with shared smiles and laughter, and Juvia felt her heart bursting with joy. It had easily been the most amazing birthday that she had every had, and it was all thanks to Gray-sama.

Something she could not deny was that when it counted, Gray had been there for her. At this point, she sincerely hoped that they could work things out. Over the last couple of days, she had found herself to be especially morose and filled with lament, distracted by her surroundings and other people, but now that Gray was here… Something was pulling at her. What was this strange feeling that kept pulling her to and fro? Juvia didn’t quite understand it, and she was left without answers as she drifted off to sleep. 

***

Gray woke up the next morning feeling hopeful about the day ahead. The ice mage laid in bed, his head cradled on his arms behind his head, thinking about the water mage across the hall. He wasn’t sure when he was going to get to talk to Juvia, but he really hoped that it would be soon. Part of him hoped that she would ditch this job and come home with him, but he wasn’t about to suggest that she abandon her responsibilities. Admittedly, that desire was pretty selfish, and the only reason he hope for that at all was because he really wanted to spend some time alone with her. It had been a long time since they had been one on one and he missed it. Not to mention that this time around things might go a little differently… 

His cheeks flushed as thought about the possibility of being closer to her. They had shared a few intimate moments, coming so close to taking their relationship a step further. The prospect scared the shit out of him, but at the same time, he was anxious to show her that he was for real this time. There were still a lot of things to talk about, there was still a lot of details to work through… but they had to start somewhere. And he had a really strong feeling that he needed to make his move now or there might be some really negative repercussions for the future. The bottom line was that he didn’t want to lose her. She meant so much to him and he had disappointed her. Gray didn’t want it to be that way. He wanted to make her smile and bring that light to her eyes. The way she looked at him last night… he hurt in her eyes.. He never wanted to see that again. It was different than all of the other times before. In the past she had forgiven him.. She forgave him when he rejected the scarf she had worked so hard to make him.. She forgave the countless times he had pushed her away...She forgave him when he left her and took up with Avatar. This time she looked so hurt, so pained- it still bothered him to think about it. 

After awhile he got himself up and out of bed and into the shower. He took his time getting ready for the day, but eventually he found himself getting hungry. The innkeeper’s daughter had said something about breakfast being served in their tearoom every morning. He had been hoping that he would catch Juvia during breakfast. He was usually a late riser, but today was definitely an exception. She was always up bright and early. He had learned that when they were living together. Catching her at breakfast would be the best chance he would have to talk to her first thing. Locking the door behind him, he left his room and headed downstairs. When he arrived at the first floor, he saw that the innkeeper’s daughter was at the check-in desk. 

“Good morning, Mr. Fullbuster. I hope you slept well!” the young girl said, greeting him cheerfully. She was certainly more friendly than her mother. The innkeeper had given him a rather stern once over when he arrived and seemed to have decided right away that he didn’t measure up. He wasn’t sure what her problem was, but he was going to just do his best to maintain decorum and behave. It definitely wouldn’t look good for Juvia if he went making a ruckus and causing problems at the small inn. She still had a job to do in this town, and he couldn’t get in the way of that. At the same time, he was still pretty suspicious of this place and the people in it. The all-too-perfect atmosphere and all-too-friendly people were out of the ordinary, and almost kinda creepy. 

“Uh yeah, thanks. You said something about breakfast being served here?” he said, clearing his throat.

The young girl nodded and gave him a pleasant smile. “Yes sir! Right there in the tea room! It’s complimentary for our guests. Please help yourself!”

Gray nodded and made his way to the double doors, pulling them apart. He opened the doors to an empty room. Juvia hadn’t come down for breakfast yet, and he was kind of glad. That meant that he could sit and wait for her. He didn’t really care how long he had to wait, so long as he got a couple of minutes to talk to her. He sat down, trying to settle down to wait patiently, but it was hard for him to sit still. Then worry struck him. What if she had already come down for breakfast and he had missed her entirely? What if she was avoiding him and had ducked out of the inn before he had a chance to see her? He began to fidget more, sighing and shifting uncomfortably. What was he going to do now? Maybe he could go around town and see if he could find her..she couldn’t have gotten far. It wasn’t a very big town, after all. Yeah, maybe that’s what he would do-- and then his paranoid stream of thoughts was interrupted by the double doors opening and the blue haired water mage coming through them. 

He froze, staring at her, mouth slightly agape, and she looked back at him, a little confused by his expression. It was clear that she wasn’t quite sure what was going on and why he was looking at her that way. To tell the truth, Gray really had no idea either. He had just found himself caught up in a stream of rushing thoughts that he couldn’t seem to quiet. But that didn’t matter, she was here now and he needed to stop being an idiot and actually say something.

“Gray-sama? Are you alright?” she asked, her eyes filled with concern

He looked back at her, and he couldn’t help but notice her eyes. They were so blue, so deep, so filled with emotion. Her gaze was so intense that it penetrated him to the core, pulling at the strings of his heart. She always did this to him. That was why he always had to look away..because it was so damn intense. 

“Uh, yeah. Sorry.. I’m fine. Just waking up, I guess,” he said, getting up from his seat. He laughed sheepishly, trying to lighten the mood. “Anyway, good morning Juvia.” 

She smiled a little and nodded to him, still standing, nervously shifting her weight as she stood there. 

“Good morning, Gray-sama.”

“So um.. You wanna join me for breakfast? I think we need to talk…” he said motioning to the table. She stood there for a moment, as if contemplating. It felt a little awkward standing there while she took her time making up her mind. Honestly, he was a little surprised by it. Man, she really did mean business this time.

“Gray-sama, I will join you for breakfast, however, any detailed discussions about our personal relationship will have to wait until later today. My first priority must be my work, as I have come here to do a job, and I intend to see it through. I very much would like to talk with you and work this all out, and please do not mistake my prioritizing work over personal endeavors as a lack of interest on my part… Juvia very much wants to talk with Gray-sama, but I must see my responsibilities first. I hope you can understand,” she announced, the words shooting out of her mouth at a rapid rate, as if she had rehearsed the speech a million times over and was doing everything in her power to get through it. 

He couldn’t help but smile. It had taken a lot of fortitude and guts for her to stand up to him like that. He had always been the one to take the lead on things when it came to any situation between them. And she had always faithfully followed him without question. Something he could always count on in life and in battle was that Juvia would be at his side. But she needed to do things her way this time, and he had to understand that. 

“Okay, I can accept that. Breakfast it is then,” he said, giving her a smile.

She smiled back and him and nodded appreciatively. He then stepped over and pulled out a chair for her, trying to be a gentleman about things. She stared at him for a moment, blinking repeatedly, her cheeks flushed. And then she thanked him and took a seat. He quickly returned to his own seat and they went about having breakfast together. They drank tea, and enjoyed pastries, talking about casual things while enjoying one another’s company. It reminded him of the mornings they would spend together before their training. Watching her talk animatedly as the sunlight reflected off her shining blue locks, making her eyes glimmer as laughed and smiled. He couldn’t help but watch her soft, plump lips as she spoke, mesmerized by their movement. On so many of those mornings he had thought about it so often… about just leaning in a little closer…

“So I will be doing some research for my job, and then I will meet you back here around 2 o’clock. That when we can take some time to have a private talk about personal matters. Is that alright with you Gray-sama?” she said, looking at him, her head tilted to one side. He snapped to attention again, and realized she was asking him a question.

“Oh, yeah sure Juvia. That’s fine, whatever you need. I’ll be here at 2 then,” he said, watching her as she got up from her seat, then smiling and nodding. 

“Thank you, Gray-sama. Juvia appreciate your understanding. I look forward to our talk later,” she said, blushing a little. “I hope that you have a good day Gray-sama. Be sure to stay out of trouble!” 

She giggled a little and waved to him as she excused herself, and left the tearoom. He smiled and waved back at her, unable to ignore how adorable she was. Breakfast had gone exceedingly well and he had high hopes for their talk later. Now he just had to find something to occupy his time until he was going to meet up with her. He had a few ideas on what he wanted to do to fill up the time, and that included finding out a little more about this town and it’s weird vibe. 

Once out of the inn, he found himself heading in the direction of Jack’s Waterin’ Hole once again. It was a a bit early in the day to be seeking libations, but that wasn’t his goal this time. He was in search of Jack himself, hoping to catch the old timer and ask him some questions about the local area. There was a lot that he wanted to know about this place, especially if Juvia was going to be working around here. He couldn’t leave her knowing that there was something weird going on, and he still couldn’t shake the feeling that this place had trouble written all over it. It didn’t take him long to reach the establishment, and the CLOSED sign was over the window. He tried the door handle and it opened easily. Letting himself in, he stepped inside and looked around, inspecting his surroundings. 

“Hello? Anybody here?” he called out into the seemingly empty room. He stood there for a moment, waiting for a response of some kind, but he was met with silence. Deciding that maybe he better come back when the place was open, he turned to leave.

“Howdy there, stranger. What brings you in before business hours?” suddenly came the familiar, friendly voice of Jack. Gray turned back around and looked to the older man. 

“Well Jack ol’ buddy, I was hoping to talk to you about something,” he said, looking intently at the bar owner. 

The man looked at the ice mage curiously. “What might that be then?”

“I wanna know if you can give me the lowdown on this town. Something’s not right about this place, and I can feel it… And as you can see, I’m not being greeted all too friendly like. I’ll be honest with you, buddy. I’m not looking for any trouble, but if someone is going to put Juvia in danger I’ll make as much trouble as I have to in order to protect her,” Gray said coolly, staring at the man hard. 

“Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, young man.”

Gray grimaced and looked hard at him. The old timer frowned and stared back at him.

“C’mon Jack, I know you can do better than that. This place doesn’t fool me. I could see the glamour spells a mile away, and it’s just a little too coincidental that everything works out juuust right in this place. I think you know more than you’re letting on, and I want some answers. So how about it, pal?”

Jack looked at him for a long time, and then seemed to make a decision. Motioning for Gray to follow him, he turned to return to the back of the bar. 

“We can have a talk alright, but you’ll have to follow me. I have some work to do this way,” 

Gray followed him into the back, hoping that he would finally get some answers. Whatever was going on in this town, he was aiming to find out come hell or highwater. There was no way he was leaving Juvia here until he knew that she was safe. 

***

Juvia had poured over the books and maps she had pulled from various shelves, spending hours trying to find an answers to her many questions. She hadn’t been exactly sure where to start, so she decided the library might her best bet for learning a bit more about the history of the town and the building of the settlement. Perhaps if she could see some of the original plans and blueprints, she would have a better idea of the layout of the mines, the waterways, and the location of the aqueduct. She hadn’t been given much information by the mayor, so she was going to have to find it herself.

Currently she was looking over a map of Montil’s plumbing system, not able to make much sense out of it. She could see where the waterways were supposed to connect to the aqueduct, and the area that the mines were supposed to be, but something looked as though it was missing. It was nearly impossible for her to be able to tell where she had already been in the mines by looking at the maps. It had been so dark when they had been down there that she couldn’t make heads or tails of her surroundings. And then there was the strange experience they had with whatever creature was living down there. Juvia thought that maybe if she could see what the environment was like by looking at the maps, that she might be able to tell more about the environment. 

According to the mayor’s sources, the problems had first arisen about ten months previous, and it became progressively worse over time. And from what Johnson had told her, the last few months had been the worst by far. This had left their crops dried out and dying, and their local water supply was starring to deplete at a rapid rate. They depended on the aqueduct during planting and growing season to supply the crops with the large amount of water required for all of the local farms. Though Montil wasn’t a large town, it was built upon several farms that sprawled out over the outlying areas. From what Juvia had read, the system depended on a regular source of magic to work correctly, and she wondered what that source might be. The mayor had never mentioned that much, but she was curious.

“Perhaps it’s a control lacrima of some sort?” she murmured aloud to herself as she read a short description note on the map in front of her. She had yet to discover the source of what powered the water systems, and it didn’t seem that the information was in this library. Perhaps she would have to pay a visit to the mayor again to ask him some more detailed questions…

And then there was the issue of whatever sort of creature was living down there. Juvia wasn’t extremely versed in zoology, but of course she knew of basic animals and their habitats. She had gone through a few books on animals of the region, but nothing she could even fathom would sound the way that thing had sounded, nor anything that would live somewhere so cold. It was strange in the first place that the underground areas were so cold to begin with, given the local climate. Some of the workers feared it to be something supernatural, which Juvia highly doubted. It was far more likely that it was a creature of some kind. However, at this point she really wasn’t sure exactly what could be down there! 

“Well I don’t seem to be getting too far this way, perhaps it’s time for me to clean up here,” she said to herself, and then began gathering up the books she had been using. 

Just after returning the last set of maps to their proper storage area, Juvia went back to the table she had been working at to gather her things. She noticed a book sitting right in front of the seat she had been sitting in just moments before. It seems she had missed one and left it behind when she returned the others.. No matter. She would simply return it to the proper area before leaving. And then she noticed the title. 

“Mythical Beasts and Legendary Creatures” she read aloud, her eyebrows knitted together. “That’s strange, I don’t remember looking at this book… I don’t even remember pulling it off a shelf.”

The book looked to be quite old, so she was careful when she opened it. Juvia carefully turned the well-worn pages ever so gently, marveling over the beautiful handwritten passages and hand-drawn sketches and diagrams. The paper was yellowed from age and the edges were rather dry, splitting in some areas. She had learned a bit from Levy McGarden about handling old books with caution and care. (The solid script page was a walking fountain of knowledge and had a deep and profound love of books.)The entire book itself was a work of art! 

She was just about to close it when she came across a particular page that caught her interest. It described a moderately sized avian creature that lived in cold, dark places that were often found near water. Juvia felt her heartbeat quicken as she started to read aloud, her excitement growing a little.

“Glacies strix, otherwise known as an ice owl. One of the only avian creatures that has been known to live in cave dwellings or underground areas. Predatory and territorial in nature, these creatures are bound to attack anything that invades their safe space. Their first line of defense is a deafening, screeching call that has often been compared to that of a banshee or siren. These creatures thrive on cold, wet environments and require large amounts of water in order to survive…” she read off excitedly. 

The description fit to a t! This must be what was living down in the mines! There was still some information in that section of the book, so hopefully there was something here that could help her. 

“I better take you with me!” she said, picking up the book and patting it’s cover affectionately. Right now this book was the best lead she had, and she had to go with it. If she could solve this problem she could save the town and do Fairy Tail proud. Fairy Tail… Gray… Gray! 

Juvia hurriedly checked her watch. 1:38. She was supposed to meet him in less than a half hour! Gathering up her things and taking the book, she rushed to the checkout desk to see about borrowing the book for the night. She was so glad to have finally made some progress on this job! It was both satisfying and exhilarating to be able to accomplish something important. The best part about it was that she was going to be helping so many people in the process!

As the lovely blue haired water mage made her way from the library back to the inn, she hummed happily to herself. Unbeknownst to her, she was not entirely alone on her little trip. A pair of prying eyes had been watching her every move.


	8. Oh, Those Sweet Words

Gray had followed Jack through the doorway beyond the bar and they came out into a storage area. Jack waved for him to follow down a small hallway to a doorway at the end. As they proceeded, it seemed to get a little darker. Gray frowned a little, wondering what was up. He continued to follow the bar owner, but had his guard up, ready to respond to anything that came at him. After entering the doorway, Gray saw that it was just another storage room. Jack went over to a pile of boxes and pulled one off the stack and headed toward a shelf.

"I've got some things to put away, but I'll answer your questions best I can while I work. So what is it you want to know, stranger?" Jack said earnestly, looking to the ice mage. Gray furrowed his brow and frowned a little.

"Well I wanna know what's going on in this damn town. I could tell there were some kind of glamour spells in place. I've seen them used at casinos and resorts to draw people in, but why would they be used in a place like this?" he asked, looking back at Jack.

Jack chuckled and then smiled a bit, shaking his head. "Well son, that would be the work of our fine mayor. You must have a pretty keen eye to notice it. Most folks don't know the difference. Most of the townsfolk aren't even aware of it. The glamours are simply to try to draw new folks to our little town. It's an agricultural settlement, after all. We need more people for it to flourish and grow. The mayor hopes to gain a larger population by using those tired ol' spit and shine spells. No more or less than that. But I refuse to have it cast on my place. This is a neutral zone."

Gray nodded. Jack's explanation had only confirmed what he had already deduced on his own, and it did make sense. He had noticed that Jack's pub didn't have the same feel as other places in town. It was more raw, more organic without that layer of magic sheen over it. That had to be why Gray felt more comfortable there than he had anywhere else in town. But he was still suspicious of this place.

"Now what about this Ojo guy? Who is he?" Gray asked, getting straight to the point.

Jack stopped and looked at Gray, his expression growing serious. The old timer frowned and shook his head. "Now Ojo is a good man. No need to bring him into this."

Gray's eyes narrowed and his mouth set into a deep scowl. "Yeah well he's been gettin' awfully cozy with someone I care about, so I'm curious about what kind of guy he is. And he had no problem getting into my business, you know."

"Well, he's the mayor's nephew. Farmer by trade, and does work for the mayor on occasion. Ojo grew up here in this town, raised by his Mama. Lord, she was the salt of the earth. Sweetest woman these parts have ever known! But she done come down with an awful sickness and passed on shortly after, leaving the boy on his own." Jack said sadly, hanging his head a little. "I'm sure he didn't mean any harm, just seems he's come to fancy that friend of yours. I wouldn't worry about him, though. He's harmless as a fly."

They went to talk for awhile longer, Gray asking various questions and Jack answering them to the best of his ability. But there seemed to be something that he was holding back with. It was almost as though he wanted to tell Gray something more, but he couldn't. The ice wizard couldn't help but notice that there was a certain level of restraint in his answers. He tried rephrasing the questions to see if he got different information, but still Jack seemed to dance around the subject.

Gray did find out that the town's founder had been a wizard and had settled his family here nearly a hundred years prior. They had survived on pumping water from the aqueduct down below by means of magic, and now they were blocked and unable to be used. The whole point of having Juvia there was to try and find a way to fix the blockages and get water pumping through their well system again. Currently the town was living off a limited water supply. The job sounded simple enough and without any sort of suspicious details. But because the bar owner seemed to be holding back, Gray didn't trust everything he said. After a fourth attempt at a certain question, he was growing tired of the song and dance. He glanced at the clock on the far wall. 1:54. He needed to get going so that he could meet Juvia at the inn. He thanked Jack for the talk and excused himself from the back room and made his way out of the bar. As he walked up the street toward the inn, he smiled to himself a bit. Despite his suspicions about this town, he was looking forward to his afternoon with Juvia.

A short distance away, a familiar broad shouldered figure could be seen watching the ice mage as he traveled through town. Unlike Gray, he was definitely not smiling.

.xxx.

Juvia looked into the bathroom mirror one more time. She had already changed her outfit twice and debated several times over as to how she should fix her hair. Glancing at the clock she saw that it was almost time for her to meet Gray downstairs. Did she look alright? Would he like her outfit? She was just so nervous! They were about to have a rather big talk, after all. She wasn't sure what was going to come of it, but she did have hopes that it would turn out well.

She studied her own face for a moment, frowning a little. She never did like the way her nose upturned. And her cheeks always seemed a little too full.. A pout came to her lips as she scrutinized herself further. Why was she being so critical of herself? Gray-sama would just be glad to have her as she is.. Or at least she hoped so. She had never been quite sure on how he felt about her looks, other than acknowledging she had a body that men would be prone to look at and 'get the wrong idea', as he put it. And she knew that he didn't like other men seeing her body. He had made that abundantly clear a long time ago. Though she wouldn't mind showing Gray-sama more of her body… Her cheeks flushed at the thought and she suddenly felt warm thinking of the shirtless ice wizard…

"Goodness! No time for that now Juvia!" she squeaked, scolding herself out loud, her hands pressed to her now pink cheeks. "I must get a hold of myself! I have to meet Gray-sama in a few minutes!"

She fussed over her hair for another minute before deciding to leave it be and leave the bathroom. Smoothing out her dress and taking a deep breath, she glanced over at the bureau mirror and gave herself a firm nod. She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. 1:57. Just a few minutes to go! It was now or never… Juvia grabbed the door handle, turned and exited the room, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Oh I'm so nervous!" she murmured to herself as she descended to the first floor, her hand on her chest as she tried to breathe evenly. But it was no use. She was just a bundle of nerves!

When she arrived at the first floor, she saw Gray standing there in the lobby, waiting patiently for her. He greeted her with a smile and a little wave as she approached.

"Hey Juvia. You ready?" he asked. She nodded and smiled at him. "And...um.. You look really nice." The ice mage offered his arm in a very gentlemanly way, taking Juvia by surprise with both the gesture and the compliment. She was beaming from ear to ear as she took his arm.

"Why yes, I am Gray-sama. Where are we off to?" she asked curiously. He smiled at her and gave her a wink.

"Well I thought we'd take a little walk first, so we could find some privacy to talk," he said easily, guiding her out of the inn. She nodded and smiled, agreeing with his decision.

"Yes that would be fine, I would like that," she said as they walked down the sidewalk, passing several buildings as they went. There were a few passersby that eyed them curiously.

As they walked through town, they talked about casual things like the weather and the surrounding atmosphere. They were both wrought with anxiety about the coming discussion. Neither of them knew exactly what the other would have to say. They continued to walk for some time, the town having thinned out to only a few sparse houses along the deserted country road. Gray seemed to have an idea of where they were headed, so she simply followed his lead. After a while they came to a clearing near a large tree, and she noticed that there was a bench beneath it. He led them to it, taking her hand and carefully making sure that she reached the bench safely. Once she was seated, he lowered himself down onto the bench next to her.

"Oh Gray-sama, what a lovely place! How did you know this was here?" she asked incredulously, looking around at the various flowers that bordered the small clearing. It was rather odd to see such a green and lush spot in an otherwise barren landscape.

"I came across it when I was walking yesterday after… well, after, you know," he said awkwardly, his voice dropping off as their eyes met. She gazed at him and saw the upset and worry in his eyes as he stared at her. She could feel it emanating off of him as he leaned closer to her. It was silent for a few minutes and she felt her body tense in response.

"Juvia… I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry, okay?" he blurted out, the words falling out of his mouth. "I get that you're probably really pissed at me for just showing up like this and ruining your job. I just couldn't deal with the idea of you going off like that for so long, you know? I literally couldn't sleep all night because I was so worried about you. I know I've been a real jerk and have kind of been stringing you along for awhile, and you don't deserve that.. You deserve someone who's gonna be straight up with you no matter what and isn't afraid to act when things get serious. And I have never been that guy," he rambled out.

She looked at him, frowning a little. What was he trying to say? She was about to speak when he started again.

"But, I want to be that guy. I want to be everything you need, Juvia. I realized that all this time, I've been pushing you away because I was afraid of hurting you, but all I'm doing is hurting you even more. I've been afraid because every time I care about someone, they disappear, and it's always my fault somehow. And then I thought about during the war, when I thought you were dead…" His voice got quiet for a moment and there was a small hitch in his breath as he went to speak again, surprising her again by grabbing her hand, lacing his fingers between hers.

"When I thought you were dead, everything went black, Juvia. Nothing mattered anymore. They had taken away the one thing that mattered to me most in the world. I didn't care about anything but destroying the people who took you away from me," he said, his voice cracking now, and a tear trickled down his cheek. She gaped at him, completely taken about by his confession and display of emotion. She knew this must be very difficult for him.

"Oh Gray-sama! But I'm fine now! Juvia is right here...with you…" she said urgently, then reaching to gently caress her thumb over his pale cheek, brushing away the tear. "That is all Juvia has ever wanted Gray-sama… to be with you." He smiled at her a little, gently leaning into her touch, her palm now cupping his cheek.

"Juvia has struggled with all of this for a very long time. I have always had faith that one day, we would be together… but then in time, I realized, perhaps you would never want me in that way. Perhaps it would never be, and I needed to accept that. My heart broke at the very notion of this, and I could not stand it any longer. So I took this job in hopes of distancing myself from all of the pain I have been feeling, a way to escape. I am sorry that I worried you, and I do understand that you only came out of concerns. I will not pressure you to make major decisions, Gray-sama. I would merely like to know where we stand" she confessed, frowning a little.

"All you've ever done was love me, and I never appreciated it. I tried to deny it even, but I've known for awhile that there's no way I can deny how I feel about you, Juvia.." he said, looking deeply into her eyes.

She stared back at him, her heart pounding as a thin layer of perspiration sprinkled across her forehead. He drew in closer to her, their eyes fixed upon one another. She stared into the darkness of his ebony eyes, lost in this very moment. Was this it? What was he going to say? Could it be…? She felt like she was going to combust at any second.

"I love you, Juvia," he said in nearly a whisper, his arms circling around her waist, no sparing a moment as he pulled her in close to him.

Her chest was pressed close to his, her arms falling around his shoulders, her head instinctively tilting just a bit to the side as he drew closer to her. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her soft, waiting lips, her heart now pounding in her ears. And then it happened.

His lips crashed down upon hers, delving her deep into a state of absolute bliss. She returned his hungry kiss with great fervor and enthusiasm. Several moments passed before either of them came up for air, all of their love and emotion being poured into those kisses. The young lovers were caught in a world of their own, everything and anyone else now part of a silent, distant void. They eventually parted, both nearly gasping to catch their breath.

"I love you, Gray-sama," Juvia said, her voice barely above a whisper, and he kissed her again, but more gently this time. Their lips exchanged soft, breathy caresses, evoking a wealth of emotion in her.

She couldn't believe that he had said it… and she had really heard it this time! It wasn't a dream or fantasy… Gray-sama had said he loved her! And they shared an amazing, enrapturing first kiss. Juvia had dreamed of this moment over and over again in her head, hoping and praying that one day it would come true. Never had she imagined that it would be so amazing as this. Nothing she had ever dreamed up could compare to the real thing… and that was the best part. It was REAL! So very real… Oh if there were a dream, she did not want to ever wake up. She would sleep for a thousand years if it meant that this would be the reality she lived in from that day forward.

But fortunately for them, it was most certainly real, and he meant every word of it. She loved him so very much, and now she would finally have a chance to show him that. Who knows what their future could hold!

"But one thing Juves… can you drop the sama crap? I don't mean to sound harsh or anything, but it feels so formal, you know? I mean, if you're gonna be my girl, I don't want you addressing me so stiff and ridged like," he said uncomfortably. She just smiled a little and nodded.

"I promise to work on that. But it may take me a little while to get used to. But Juvia promises, Gray-sa- I mean, Gray," she said with a shy smile. He grinned back at her and then leaned in to kiss her chastely on the lips.

"You're awesome," he said, reaching up and caressing her cheek with his thumb, and she giggled a little. She couldn't help it. It was so new and different for Gray to be so affectionate toward her. While it wasn't the first time she had seen a softer side of the ice wizard, he had never been so open and willing with it. And then it clicked-

"Wait.. did you just say something about being your girl?" she asked, her eyes widening. He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well you know, if you want to be and all," he said hurriedly, shifting his eyes down and away, but then peeking back at her. "So… do you want to be my girl, Juvia?"

The water mage squealed in delight, feeling her heart nearly explode in her chest. He had just asked her out! He really asked her out! And not just for a date…. But to be his GIRL! She couldn't believe it! This was….amazing. What a day!

"Juvia?"

She looked at him, alarmed, blinking several times. And then she realized that she had yet to answer him in actual words. Thus far her response had only been unintelligible squeals and squeaks.

"Oh yes! Yes I would love to be your girl!" she said, flinging her arms around him and throwing herself at him, nearly toppling both of them over. "My darling Gray!"

He chuckled heartily, grabbing a hold of her the best he could, still trying to maintain his balance. She kissed him again gently, but excitedly. In this last short while… her dreams of Gray-sama had finally come true. He loved her… he wanted her. He was finally facing his fears and giving them a real chance.

They embraced fully and stood there for a long time, just holding one another. It was a comfortable, gentle silence, and they were reveling in the moment. This had been a long time coming and for the first time in her life, Juvia felt free. Not just because Gray had confessed his love or that they were exchanging affections.. It was because, finally after all this time, someone fought for her. Usually it was her fighting for everyone else… but this time, he sought her out, proved himself to her. And now they were officially together.

When they finally pulled apart, Gray's expression turned serious as he looked at her. A little confused, Juvia looked at him searchingly. He hated to put a damper on the moment, but there were other things they needed to talk about before they headed back into town. He was still concerned about this job she had taken on. And he wanted to share everything he had learned about the town.

"Gray-sa- um, Gray? What's wrong darling?" she asked, her eyes shining with concern. He smiled a little, trying to ease her worry a little.

"Nothing, just, I want to talk to you about some stuff before we head back, that's all," he explained, guiding them back to the bench to sit down. She nodded and looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "Well, first of all, have you noticed anything weird about this place? How everything seems to be so perfect and accommodating? Well they use something called glamour spells to trick people into thinking things are way better than they actually are."

Juvia thought about it for a moment and realized that she had noticed little things that seemed awfully coincidental and almost ridiculously perfect. She also remembered the unexplained and overwhelming feeling of comfort that she felt while she was here. And then she thought about the strange feelings that had come over her the other night… the pulling sensation. Her eyes widened..

"Oh my goodness! Gray-sama! I felt it after we argued and I was feeling vexed about the whole situation… I kept wavering between anger and upset, I felt myself being pulled at… it was the strangest sensation.. Could that have been the magic you're talking about?" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in shock.

The ice wizard nodded grimly, clearing his throat nervously after her example.

"Uh yeah, that was probably it. Anyway, so this place is already trying to fool you from the get-go. I was talking to Jack, he runs the pub here in town.. And he was telling me that it's just the mayor trying to attract newcomers, but there's something he's not telling me. I dunno Juvia.. I don't like this place. It gives me the creeps," he said firmly hands on his hips.

Juvia considered everything for a moment. The mayor did seem like a questionable fellow… though it was understandable that he would want to attract new people to their settlement. However, it seemed a bit dishonest to use hidden magic in order to do so. She had even been duped by it. Well no more. Now that she was aware of it, she would be able to approach the situation with a much clearer head. When she thought about it, she had done a number of things that were out of character and really rather odd.

"Ojo…" she said suddenly. It dawned on her. The way she had behaved with Ojo had been very strange indeed. She had not been able to explain the way she felt around him at times, and it never quite made sense, as she barely knew him at all. But now she felt a bit hurt that he had led her under false pretenses. In the very least, they could have notified her about the magic being used on the town at large.

"Yeah, him. What about him?" he asked coolly, looking a little annoyed at the mention of the other man's name. She tried not to smile at the hint of jealousy in his voice. Her darling should know better than that…

"Oh, I was just remembering that- oh! Oh goodness, Gray! There's something I need to show you! It had to do with my job and I need your help!" she suddenly exclaimed, remember what she had found in the library earlier that day. "Could we go back to the inn so I can show you?"

He smiled at her, nodding. "Of course we can. Let's go check this out." They smiled at one another, lacing their fingers together and heading back into town.

Once they reached the inn, they went straight upstairs together, bypassing a very curious innkeeper and her smiling daughter. Once they entered Juvia's room, she went for the book that she had checked out in the library. She turned to the pages that she had put in a marker for and pointed it out to Gray before reading the description aloud.

"This! This sounds like exactly what we encountered in the mines the other day! Have you heard of them before? It says in the book that they are best known in the area close to where you are originally from, if my memory serves me correctly," she said quickly, looking at him.

"Yeah, I've heard of them, but no one has ever actually seen one. I mean, look at the book Juves- Mythical Beasts and Legendary Creatures- meaning not real, right?" he said, shaking his head as he looked at the book.

"I realize that, but this is all I have to go on right now. Whatever it is fits this description almost exactly. And besides, the creatures in this book aren't all completely mythical. At one point people though the great white wyvern was a myth, but it wasn't not was it? I think perhaps I will have to go back down into the mines to research this further," she said, looking back to the book. Gray stiffened.

"I don't like you going down there alone, especially if there's something weird down there. I know you can handle yourself, but it sounds pretty dangerous," he said, the tension in his voice evident.

She turned to him and stepped closer, resting her hands on his chest and looking up into his eyes, trying with all her might to assuage any fears he might have. His eyes were filled concerned as he slid his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Oh Gray, I'll be fine, I promise. And well, since you're here, perhaps you could go down there with me. I'm sure the mayor would be happy to have another Fairy Tail wizard on the job!" she said cheerfully, smiling brightly at him. Gray's expression lightened at her suggestion, giving way to a small smile.

"Oh hey, yeah I'll do that. I have no problem going down there with you. Maybe I can help you deal with whatever is "haunting" the mines" he said, nodding enthusiastically. "And maybe we should meet with this mayor guy again, give me a chance to size him up."

They agreed that they would go to see the mayor early the next day before arranging for another venture down into the mines. Juvia was almost certain that this would involve Ojo at some point, as he had consistently been present throughout most of the job thus far. She hoped that there would be no uncomfortable tension between the men. Gray was already wary of Ojo, though he had proved to be nothing but a kind, helpful man. Regardless, she hoped that they could make some progress the next day and get on their way to solving this mystery.

The newfound couple decided to spend the evening together with a quiet dinner and time to talk. It would be their first official evening as a couple and Juvia felt happier than she had ever been. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at her beloved Gray, her smiling beaming brighter than a thousand suns. What the couple didn't know was that there were prying eyes upon them once more, waiting and watching. They were right when they believed that more was going on beneath the surface than they had originally been made aware.

Things were about to get interesting in the quiet farming community of Montil.


	9. Joined Forces

After their dinner that evening, Juvia and Gray decided it would be best to condense themselves into one room, as the inn had a limited number of rooms to begin with. Juvia promptly moved into Gray’s room, and was sure to return her key to the innkeeper. The woman seemed somewhat in shock when she returned the key. Juvia explained that she and her love had made amends and wished to share his room. She didn’t feel right taking up two rooms when they very well could just use the one. And she didn’t think it would be right for both of them to stay at the town’s expense. This was a way she could be with Gray and save the town a little money to boot. 

“Now are you sure you want to be staying in a room with that man, Miss Lockser?” the innkeeper asked tightly, looked at Gray disapprovingly before looking back to Juvia. The water mage frowned, uncertain as to what she was trying to get at.

“Of course, Mrs. Campbell, I am quite sure,” she replied, raising an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

The older woman stiffened, clearing her throat before she spoke. “Well, I’m just looking out for your best interest, Miss Lockser. If this gets around, people might talk.”

Now Juvia stiffened, feeling slightly offended at what she was insinuating. What she and Gray-sama did behind closed doors was their business alone. And what anyone else might have to say about it was of no concern to her. The fact was, their relationship was still rather new and it would be some time before things progressed to… well… more intimate situations. But that was no one else’s business! And what did it matter what people in this town thought? The only opinions that mattered to her with that of her love and her nakama in the guild. Anyone else could just keep it to themselves!

The water mage was miffed, but tried to keep her emotions in check. Gray noticed her change in demeanor and approached the counter, gently placing his hand on the small of her back. She relaxed a little at his touch and held her head up high. 

“Well let them talk, I suppose. I know who I am and will not let others who do not know me dictate my actions. Thank you for your concern, but we will indeed be sharing the room,” she said firmly, looking Mrs. Campbell in the eye. The older woman looked disapproving, but relented. 

“Very well then,” Mrs. Campbell said curtly, taking the key from Juvia. “I suspect you’ve already cleared out your belongings?”

Juvia nodded and smiled. “I certainly have. Thank you, Mrs. Campbell. We will be going out now, so if anyone wishes to reach me, I will be at the Mayor’s home.”

And with that, she took a smiling Gray’s hand and led the way out of the Inn. As they exited, Gray chuckled and shook his head. She looked at him questioningly, raising an eyebrow. 

“Gray-sama? What’s so funny?” she asked promptly, her feathers still a bit ruffled from the previous interaction. The ice mage beamed at her and slipped an arm around her waist, hugging her to him. She blushed a little and then smiled.

“Nothing’s funny Juves… just.. It was awesome to see you stand up for yourself like that. I hate seeing you get walked on because you’re always so kind to people. I’m proud of you,” he said, giving her a wink. She couldn’t help but blush again. It made her happy to make him proud. She was quite proud of herself as well. Though she had always had strong convictions, her kindness often got her taken advantage of by others.

“Thank you, darling. I just didn’t think that it was anyone’s business, and frankly, I don’t care what they say! I’m proud to be with you and nothing will change that!” she said emphatically, looking quite determined. Gray just smiled in response and took her hand again. 

“You’re totally right. Now, want to lead the way to the mayor’s house?” he said, grinning at her. She had rarely seen him smile so much. It made her heart soar to see him as happy as she was. 

“Yes of course, my darling!” she said, returning his smile and giving a firm nod. And with that they headed off toward the mayor’s house, walking hand in hand. It wasn’t a terribly long walk, but it took them through most of the town. People noticed them as they walked through and seemed to be whispering to one another. Juvia didn’t care what anyone might have to say. She was walking with her head held high.

They soon came upon the end of the mayor’s drive and rang the intercom at the gate. They were greeted with an unfamiliar voice and asked to state their business. Once it was clarified that Juvia had indeed been hired by the mayor, the gate was unlocked and they were let on to the property. As the walked up the long, winding driveway, Gray took notice of the sprawling gardens and looked at Juvia with a raised eyebrow. She only nodded and grimaced, acknowledging his surprise. They would discuss that later on, but for now they needed to meet with the mayor.

When they got to the door they were greeted by Mrs. Hanover, who didn’t seem too pleased to see them. But she still let them in and saw them to the same drawing room that Juvia had waited during her previous meeting with the mayor. Gray was looking curiously around the room, eyebrows raised. “Wow, this guy has some expensive taste…” Gray observed, looking at one of the large vases on display.

Juvia shifted nervously, glancing at the door. “Yes, quite extravagant. Darling, why don’t you sit here with me?”

Gray shrugged and joined her on the couch, taking her hand. She smiled at him and laced her fingers with his. They conversed quietly for a short while, until they heard the doors opening. They both stood up as the Mayor entered the room. He cast a critical look at Gray, but then looked to Juvia, giving her a tight smile and clasping his hands together.

“Miss Lockser, to what do I owe this fine pleasure? Is there some trouble with the job?” Mayor Romsdale said in his usual svelty drawl, his welcoming tone seeming rather forced. 

“Actually Mayor, I’ve got some leads that seem promising, but I would like your permission to enlist the help of my fellow guild member, Gray Fullbuster,” Juvia explained, motioning to Gray and smiling. “ He has joined me here to assist in the job, as I feel it will require the power of more than one wizard to bring your water system back into full operational status.” 

“I see Miss Lockser… well if you truly feel you require the assistance, why how can I question you? You are the professional, after all,” he said, smiling through gritted teeth. “But only if you're absolutely sure my boys aren't help enough.” 

He rigidly crossed the room and took a seat in his overly large desk chair. Juvia was very confused as to why the Mayor seemed so tense. He smiled at her, but grimaced when he stole a glance at Gray. 

She looked at him, slightly baffled, and very uncertain as to why he was behaving in this fashion, as it was quite different than the man she had met a couple of days prior. When she glanced to Gray, he looked back at her with an air of suspicion. Clearly, he didn’t have a good impression of the mayor. But then again, he would be looking for something to be wrong. Juvia tried to focus and get to the bottom of things.

“Well Sir, while I am immensely grateful for the help you have provided me thus far, I feel that I require another source of professional help in order to succeed in this project. Now if you would like this problem solved, I would implore you to allow Mr. Fullbuster to assist me,” she said firmly, but with a polite smile quickly following up her words.

When she glanced at Gray again, he was smirking and gave her a little nod. That was his ‘good one’ smirk. She was quite happy that he was being so supportive. Juvia looked to the mayor again, meeting his gaze directly. 

Mayor Romsdale straightened and threw back his broad shoulders, raising himself up. He didn’t look pleased, but sighed and then nodded. “Alright, fine then Miss Lockser, if you so wish,” he said, relenting. “Now mind you, the pay remains the same. I hope you can understand that.”

Juvia smiled and nodded, elated at his response and clasped her hands together excitedly. This was wonderful news! Now her darling Gray could help her out and they would solve this mystery together!

“Oh yes, of course Mayor Romsdale, I would not expect any further payment! Thank you for allowing me to include Gray in my work. We will do our very best to solve this problem for Montil!” she chirped enthusiastically. The she turned to her partner. “Gray, was there anything you wanted to inquire with the Mayor about?”

Gray smirked again as the Mayor shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Now it was his turn to do some of the talking. He smiled at Juvia and nodded. 

“Yeah Juvia, there is, thanks.”

.xxx.

Now that Juvia had momentarily handed the reins over to him, he wanted to get the gritty details on this job. He looked at the Mayor in the eye and spoke quite plainly.

“So what’s really going on down in this mines, Mayor? You gotta have some clue,” he questioned, already skeptical of the Mayor’s unuttered answer.

Mayor Romsdale stiffened again and glared, stone faced, at the ice mage. He cleared his throat before he spoke, promptly shaking his head.

“Why I have no idea to what you could be referring to, my good gentleman. Fullbuster, is it? Well Mr. Fullbuster, I certainly do not have any idea beyond what I have already told Miss Lockser.”

Gray raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help smirking again. He saw Juvia shifting uncomfortably, but he maintained his pursuit. This guy was hiding something and he could see it a mile away. There was more going on here than the Mayor was letting on.

“So you mean to tell me that this business about these mines being haunted is serious? And that the haunting is the cause of why your water isn’t working? That doesn’t really make sense to me,” the ice mage went on, staring the Mayor straight in the eye. 

“Why yes, the mines are known to be haunted. And we don’t know why else the waterways have collapsed and become obstructed! I’ve already told Miss Lockser things!” he exclaimed indignantly, seemingly taken aback by the questions.

Gray wasn’t buying it, but he decided to play nice for Juvia’s sake. She already looked rather uncomfortable and nervous. He knew she wanted the complete this job without further complications. 

“Alright, alright. I’m just wondering, Mayor. It just doesn’t add up that no one has ANY clue what’s going on down there. I mean, haven’t you brought in some big spot lights or something? There’s gotta be a way to get more light down there,” he added, trying to calm things.

Mayor Romsdale blinked several times, staring at the ice mage for several moments before answering. Gray and Juvia both watched him closely, waiting for a response. 

“Well...well...I...well we….We haven’t had the equipment...and no one suggested that we do something like that,” the mayor stammered, fumbling over his words. “I suppose..well I’m not sure it would really make any difference. And they’ve used torches! Plenty of light from those!”

Gray nodded, eyebrows raised, still not believing his story. He glanced at Juvia, who shrugged a little. The Mayor was still rambling gibberish, not making any sense. After a few moments he seemed to realize his lack of composure and stopped speaking. 

“Pardon me, I seem to have lost my wits for a moment. Now as I was saying, I suppose we could try another method if it would help you folks out,” he said, clearing his throat and forcing a smile once again.

“Perhaps we could use some sort of light lacrima down there, Mayor? It would assist us a great deal, I believe, and I would very much appreciate if we had that sort of resource,” Juvia said tentatively, trying to smooth out the situation. 

“Yes, yes of course, Miss Lockser. I’ll order the boys to get that taken care of straight away. Now if ya’ll would excuse me, I have some other business to attend to,” Mayor Romsdale said, standing up from his chair and smoothing his suit coat. 

The two mages glanced at each other and then looked at him and nodded. “Very well, Mayor. Thank you for your time. I’ll be sure to update you on the progress of the project as soon as possible,” the water mage said calmly, giving him a polite smile. 

The Mayor nodded and excused himself, exiting the room as quickly as he could. Gray and Juvia were guided out by Mrs. Hanover and promptly sniffed at and practically shoved them out the door. Juvia looked wholly confused by what had just happened. As they walked down the drive, she turned to Gray. 

“Gray darling, do you think perhaps we upset him with all the questions?” she asked nervously, her eyes filled with worry. “I only wanted to get further assistance so I could finish this job properly.”

Gray shook his head and scowled, glancing back at the house and then looking to Juvia again.   
“Don’t worry about it. There’s something weird with that guy, there’s something weird with this job. And we’re gonna figure out what it is.”

.xxx.

It was a couple of hours before things were ready at the job site. The mayor had managed to procure some light lacrima that would provide illumination down in the mines. When Gray and Juvia arrived at the job site, things were pretty tense. The crew men didn’t say much to Gray and Ojo was shooting him dirty looks. But the yokel still managed to be plenty friendly with Juvia. The ice mage kept his cool, but if farm boy went to far, Gray would be quick to call him on it. There was no way he was letting some other guy puts his hands on his girl. Not that she was some kind of possession, but he couldn’t help but be a little territorial. He already knew this guy had a thing for her, and Gray didn’t want him getting any more ideas. Ojo already tried to start a confrontation once, and the ice mage wasn’t looking for a repeat. At the same time, Gray knew he had to play nice for Juvia’s sake. He didn’t want to go and piss her off again. And fighting with this guy was a sure fire way to send the water mage into a tizzy. 

Ojo approached them when they drew closer, keeping his attentions on Juvia. He didn’t even so much as acknowledge Gray, keeping his eyes solely on the water mage as he spoke.

“Well then Miss Juvia, we’ll be venturing down into those mines again with these here light lacrima. Now Johnson and Miller will be joining this time. You sure you want to go back down there?” Ojo said warily. Juvia nodded promptly.

“Yes I am completely certain, Ojo. I would like Gray to become acquainted the area, and I would like a better look down there. I believe we will get farther in our search by using the light lacrimas,” she said firmly, nodding toward the mine opening. 

Ojo barely looked at Gray and grunted a little, nodding back at Juvia.

“Alright then, we’ll get to it.”

They proceeded into the mines as a group, the light lacrima lining the entryways. As they traveled through they used the handheld light lacrima to peer ahead of them through the deep darkness. As they progressed, Gray felt how it became noticeably colder. Juvia had told him that the mines dropped to almost freezing temperatures when they reached the center of the mines, near the water pumping stations. As they traveled along, he could see his breath as he exhaled and noticed the walls had a slight sheen on them. It was the beginnings of a frost, kind of like the way the ground freezes over the dew on cold winter mornings. This was definitely strange. 

When they got to the point of the ladder that led into the lower part of the mine, Ojo turned to Juvia again. He had been silent most of the trip into the mine.

“Now Miss Juvia, don’t you worry. I’ll help get you down. Just you just sit tight now,” he said reaching to get the harness on her. Juvia smiled gently and pushed his hand away.

“I think I can manage to get it on myself this time Ojo, thank you,” she said in a friendly way. Gray couldn’t help but scowl. There he goes again. This guy doesn’t catch a clue. Juvia got herself into the harness and then turned to Gray.

“Gray darling, could you make sure I have this good and tight?” she asked him, smiling at her boyfriend. He smiled right back, catching a glimpse of the look on Ojo’s face. The farmer was dumbstruck, as Gray helped Juvia check the clasps on the harness. 

The group then began to descend down the rickety rope ladder one by one. Gray opted to go without the hardness, and went down ahead of Juvia. He wanted to be there to help guide her down. At one point Ojo approached and attempted to help Juvia, but Gray stepped in right off. 

“Don’t worry, buddy. I got her,” Gray said, smirking and turning to reach up and lightly grab a hold of Juvia’s waist as she descended down the ladder. He could practically feel Ojo’s glare boring into him as steam rose off his head. Gray wasn’t really trying to pick a fight, but he was on high guard. He didn’t trust these people and his one and only purpose was to keep his girl safe.

The farmer just grunted again, turning toward the cavern that went beyond the clearing they were in. Then Ojo stooped and reached into the bag he had been carrying and pulled out a lighter and then crossed to get a torch off holder on the wall. He proceeded to start lighting the torch and Juvia rushed forward, waving her hands.

“Please Ojo, no fire! They’re scared of fire!” she exclaimed. The farmer looked at her incredulously, utterly confused by what she had just said. Gray knew why she was stopping him. She was still convinced that these creatures she had read about in that book were what was occupying the mines. He wasn’t really convinced that that’s what it was that was causing the “haunting”, but he just hung back and let her do the talking.

“But Miss Juvia, that’s the point! To keep those critters away from us!” Ojo said and shook his head. “We gotta light a fire for safety purposes.” 

“No! I implore you, Ojo, do not light that fire!” Juvia protested. Her expression was steely and the picture of seriousness. Gray was impressed with her assertiveness. She was really holding her own here. But really, he wasn’t surprised. He knew she was tough. The other man stopped and looked up at the water mage. Finally he relented and stop trying to light the torch. 

“Alright fine! But I’m warnin’ ya Miss Juvia, them creatures is vicious!” he said gruffly, putting the firestarter away and returning the torch to its holding place. Rising to his feet, he looked at her gravely, grimacing. “We’ll just head on in with the lights then. Johnson! You head up the line!”

Johnson yelped, going sheet white. “Me Ojo? You sure ‘bout that?”

Ojo looked severely annoyed and spoke through gritted teeth. 

“Get your butt in gear, Johnson! Miller you follow him up. Keep those lights ahead of you!”

Johnson and Miller scrambled to the head of the pack, shaking like a couple of leaves in the wind. They kept shoving at each other, insisting the other was welcome to go first. Gray raised an eyebrow as he watched these two. They were clearly freaking out, and seemed to sincerely believe that the caves were haunted. 

“Git goin’!” Ojo barked, causing them to stop fumbling about and finally start to move forward, Johnson in the front. The followed in a line toward the caverns ahead of them and it grew even colder as they traveled onward. Once they were inside the actual cavern, Gray noticed the sheen of frost was replaced by an outright thin layer of ice along the walls and floor. It almost sparkled when the light from the lacrimas shined upon it. Juvia looked around, seemingly confused. She turned to Gray.

“There wasn’t this much ice the other day… I wonder if it’s the Glacies Strix that has caused it,” she said, looking around and then back to him. “The book said that they prefer cold environments.”

Gray looked around skeptically. “I don’t know, Juvia. Maybe it’s-” And before he could speak another word a piercing wail sounded, echoing through the caverns. The ice mage stood, gape mouth, head whipping from one side to another, looking for the source of the sound. It sounded again, but louder this time. Whatever it was, was coming closer. He looked at Juvia. She was staring back at him, wide eyed.

“It’s coming! That the same-” she cried out, but then she too was interrupted by the sound of a another shrieking, wailing call. Now it rang out in a chorus, indicating that there were more than one of these things. Gray had never heard anything like it in his life. 

Suddenly there was an air current whirling around them, a whooshing sound following the gusts of cold air. He switched the handheld light lacrima onto its highest setting and cast the beam of light up and away from them. And then they saw it- a giant wigged creature whipping around them. Juvia had now turned her lacrima up to full power as well, casting more light in the caverns. They could see that there were two of these things, one bigger than the other.

He got a good look at one of their faces. It was an enormous owl-like bird with antlers sprouting from it’s head. The wingspan at least 20 feet wide, it’s large monstrous wings flapped violently as they flew about. They were an icey blue color, intricate darker blue markings over their great bodies. It’s eyes were a shining, glistening black, fixated on their targets. They looked exactly like the creatures in Juvia’s book. But they were far more ominous than the text could have ever conveyed. One of them swooped down toward them, screeching as it came and Gray had to act quickly.

“Ice make CAGE!” he shouted, manifesting a giant cage made of the ice that dropped down on the smaller creature, trapping it inside. The larger bird screamed angrily, letting out a wailing cry, nearly bursting their ear drums from the sheer volume. It turned it’s attention to the ice mage. 

“Gray, watch out!” Juvia screamed as the creature swooped and dove right toward him. He turned and threw his arms up in front of him.

“Ice make SHIELD!” Gray called out, creating a huge shield that sheltered him from the giant talons of the bird. It cried out again and made another swoop for him. 

“WATER SLICER!” the water mage yelled, sending streams of water toward the beast, trying to stop it from going after Gray. This gave the ice wizard ample time to act. The creature had turned its attention to Juvia and was heading toward at top speed. He needed to make a move, and fast. 

“Ice make CANNON!” he growled, conjuring a huge ice cannon that sat upon his shoulder as he gripped it tight. He let loose a shot of ice at the lunging bird, but it pulled back its wings and swung out of the path of the coming ice. He missed it, but at least it stopped its pursuit of Juvia. It cried out again, screeching and screaming, and Gray let loose another shot. 

The creature began to retreat, flying away from them, higher up in the cavern. It was calling out as it ascended, and then it disappeared into the darkness. Gray moved his light source onto the cage creature that was now wailing mournfully. He noticed that the others were hunkered down in a corner across the cavern. Johnson and Miller looked like they were about to croak from the fear that had overcome them completely. Ojo was watching with wide eyes, as if he could not believe what he was seeing happen before. Gray shifted his gaze to Juvia, whose chest was heaving as she caught her breath, but was still standing strong. 

They needed more light in the cavern to be able to see what they were doing. Gray had an idea. Maybe if he made something that would reflect the light and illuminate more of the cave. 

“Ice make Lantern!” Gray exclaimed suddenly, creating a large light fixture in front of him. He took his light lacrima and put it inside, and the light shone brighter, lighting up more of the room.

Juvia beamed and clapped her hands. “Great work, darling!”

The ice mage smirked and nodded to her. “Thanks babe. Just thought we could use a little more light.” He had to admit. Praise coming from his girlfriend was pretty awesome, and it didn’t hurt that he had a clever moment.

Juvia cautiously approached the large cage that held the captured creature. It screeched at her as she drew closer. She looked to Gray. “I feel horrible that it’s trapped, but what else were we to do?” 

Gray nodded and then shrugged. “Yeah I mean, they were attacking us. There wasn’t much choice, you know?” He did feel bad for the caged creature. It sounded like it was crying. He could seen the pain in Juvia’s eyes as she looked upon the wailing creature. It was hard to see her look so upset, but they didn’t know what this thing was going to do.

“What do you think we should do, Gray?” she asked him, looking sad and conflicted. “I don’t want to hurt it…” 

He shook his head. “No way, I don’t want to either. But we gotta figure out something.”

Suddenly Ojo’s voice rang out, surprising them both. “There’s only one thing to do with that varmint.” 

Both wizards turned and looked questioningly at the farmer, who was sheet white and shaking a little. He was staring at the giant owl-like beast that still wailed its discontent from inside the cage. It was several moments before he spoke again, looking Gray dead in the eyes. 

“Kill it.”


	10. Whippersnapper

“Kill it.” 

The words echoed in Juvia’s head as she recalled the previous day in the mines. She shivered when she thought of the cold, angry look in his eyes. Ojo’s behavior had been wholly unexpected; Juvia never would have dreamed that his first response would be something so violent. Thankfully, Gray had been completely on her side and said that they weren’t going to kill the Glacies Strix. Juvia forbade any of them from touching the creature and ordered them to leave it be until they figured out just what to do about the creatures in the mines. It was clear that their presence was disrupting the waterways and causing the water to not be pumped up from the aquaduct. These creatures were so rare that they had become the stuff of legends and folklore. Clearly this needed to be handled delicately, as Juvia both wanted to solve the town’s water problem and at the same time wanted to make sure the creatures were treated humanely. She couldn’t live with herself if any harm came to them, especially when they were obviously roosting somewhere completely atypical to their usual surroundings. The real question was, how did they get there in the first place?

Juvia and Gray had returned to the Mayor’s house to speak to him about the creatures, but he was unavailable when they came calling. There was “important business” that required him to go out of town for a duration, but he left word that he would speak with them the moment he returned. Juvia found this to be very frustrating, and wondered how he expected them to get anything done if they were unable to pool all the necessary resources. The mayor would play a pivotal role in this, as the town was under his jurisdiction and control, and there was no deputy mayor to speak of. Only steely faced Mrs. Hanover, who provided them no further information and quickly ushered them out of the door. 

“Well, now what?” Gray asked, turning to Juvia. She was nominally irritated and a bit uncertain as to what to do next. The water mage furrowed her brow, and crossed her arms over her chest with huff.

“You know, for someone who supposedly wants to solve his town’s problem, he sure does have a strange way of showing it. He’s obstructing us at every turn!” she glowered, irritably glancing back at the house as they walked away. Gray nodded and rubbed the back of his head, uncertain as to what to do.

“Yeah it’s pretty weird how he’s not being very helpful,” Gray said plainly. “He claims to care, but has a funny way of showing it.” 

They walked for a short while, Juvia thoroughly annoyed and frustrated because she wasn’t sure what to do next. Should they attempt to catch the other creature? Should they let the first creature go for the time being? The water mage could not stand the fact that the poor creature was caged and alone, kept from it’s mate. She thought of how she would feel if she was caged and kept away from Gray… it made her feel quite cold and empty. It was the way she felt before she met Gray and started her new life with Fairy Tail. It broke her heart to think of that poor lonely creature sitting in that icy cage in those dark, cold mines. Of course, its natural habitat were the frozen caves of the northern country of Iceberg. It was so very strange that they were living in caves in this warm, arid climate. The whole situation didn’t make sense. The mayor had been clueless to their being present in the first place and attempted to chalk up the disturbance in the mines as a “haunting”. What exactly was he hoping to accomplish? As if reading her mind, Gray piped up. 

“You know Juves, something is pretty weird about this whole situation. Did you ever consider that there might be something suspicious going on?” he asked as they walked further up the road. Juvia was nodding this time. She didn’t think Gray was being overly cynical or paranoid. There certainly was something strange going on. 

“I think you’re right Gray...there is something very suspect about this situation. And I’m beginning to believe that the mayor very well be the one behind it,” she said in a low voice. She moved closer to him and dropped her voice to almost a whisper. “Sometimes it feels as though there might be someone...watching. It makes me rather nervous,” she admitted, a shiver coming over her. Gray reached and grabbed for her hand, lacing her fingers between his.

“Yeah, well don’t worry babe. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he said reassuringly, giving her hand a squeeze and smiling. “Just like you wouldn't let anyone hurt me.” She looked back and him and smiled, gripping his hand a little tighter. He always knew how to make her feel better, even when she was at her most glum. 

“I know, darling. You’re so very correct. I was just hoping to actually solve the problem on this job, and it seems I’ve done everything but!” she admitted, shrugging a little. “But I suppose from here on out we will have to trust our intuition and handle the only way we know how- like true members of Fairy Tail!” With her last statement she dramatically threw her shoulders back and thrust out her chin confidently. Gray grinned.

“Now you’re talkin’ Juves! We got this.” he chimed in, throwing an arm around her and hugging her to him. “Whatever they throw at us, we’ll handle no problem.” 

Juvia nodded and smiled, blushing a little. She always got a little flustered when Gray showed her any kind of approval. Of all the people in the world, his opinion was one that really did matter. She was happy to make him proud because it meant she was doing something better for herself and the world around her. That’s all he ever really wanted from her, and she understood that now. The couple continued on to the Inn, unaware that their peeping creeper was at it again, watching their every move and picking up on bits of their conversation. 

.xxx.

The couple arrived at the inn a short while later, deep in discussion about the events of the last few days. They were careful to speak in a code of sorts, not letting out too many details where prying ears could hear them. They had been especially careful once they were in the town limits again. There was no telling who would be trying to listen in on them. And if they at the point of suspecting the mayor of foul play, the last thing they wanted to do was alert any of his precious townsfolk. The two mages didn’t know who they could trust, and at this point, they would only rely on one another. A pair of eyes followed them still as they moved into the Inn, watching as they climbed the stairs together. Now would be the time to strike, and this mysterious figure knew it. It was all a matter of timing… and not getting caught.

If they struck quickly, no one would notice and everything would go along seamlessly. No one would ever suspect them. There was no way on Earthland that it could EVER happen. 

“I have to get to them before anyone else does,” the mysterious figure said in whisper. “Only then will we all avoid certain doom.”

.xxx.

Gray laid back on the bed, resting his eyes as he waited for Juvia to freshen up after their dusty trek out to the Mayor’s mansion. She had been pretty frustrated that the venture was fruitless, and they were right where they left off- a dead end. Gray wasn’t sure what to do about the situation either. But one thing was for sure- he was at least glad Juvia had opened her eyes about this place and its people. Well, at least some of its people. There had to be plenty of innocent bystanders. He suspected descendants of some of the original settlers of the farming community had nothing to do with anything of the funny business that had been going on. From what Gray understood, the town itself had been around for a long time. It was only in the last decade that this mayor had been trying to play it up as some kind of island oasis amongst the dry and deadly desert. He had learned all of this from Jack during their long talk the a couple days previous. 

The ice mage stared up at the ceiling, thinking about their next course of action when he heard an odd crinkling noise. Getting up from the bed, he began looking around for the source of the sound. He took a few steps forward and noticed a piece of paper laying on floor near the entryway to their room. Curious, Gray picked up the piece of mystery paper and looked it over.

Ladies and gentlemen, do you find yourself  
In need of a wildlife specialist?  
A furry friend aficionado?  
Well search no further!

Anais Willowberry,  
Animal Expert, both magical and non.

-Certified  
-Licensed  
-30 years experience

Find at Jack’s Waterin’ Hole   
Every Tuesday Night

At first Gray couldn't help but laugh at the cheesy advertising tactics.Then he got to thinking… animal expert, both magical and non… Maybe this lady could help them. And it just so happened that it was Tuesday. He waited until Juvia emerged from the bathroom and then held out the flier to her. She took it from him, casting him a look of confusion. 

“Gray darling, what is this?” she asked curiously, taking the sheet of paper from him and looking it over. Her blue eyes studied the sheet for a few moments, reading over the advertisement. “An animal expert! Oh goodness, this is just what we need!” Juvia was starting to get excited at the prospect that they might have found an answer to their problem.

Gray nodded solemnly. “Yeah I wonder if she can help us out. Says both magical and non-magical animals. Either way, maybe she’ll have some answers for us.” 

Juvia nodded excitedly, looking over the paper again. “Jack’s Waterin’ Hole,” she read out loud, then looked up at Gray. “Isn’t this the place you went the other day?” 

“Yeah, sure is. Guess we’ll have to pay a visit,” Gray said, running his fingers through his hair. “You want to get something to eat first or head straight over there?” 

“Hmm.. I don’t think I could enjoy a meal as I would be anxious to talk to this woman,” she said, considering for a moment. “ Perhaps we can see to this and have lunch afterward, darling?” 

“Yeah, no problem. Let’s head over there then,” he replied, heading for the door. He stopped when he realized she wasn’t following and turned back around and looked at her questioningly. “You comin’?”

“Um...Gray darling…” she said, stifling a giggle as she pointed at him, her cheeks a bit red. 

“What? What’s wrong?” he said, looking down and around him. 

“Darling… your shirt. You’re not wearing it,” Juvia provided, now giggling openly. 

“Ah dammit!” he cursed, frowning and looking around for his discarded shirt. He really did have a stripping problem. It just happened without any sort of notice and he was so used to it that he didn’t even pay mind to being half naked. He found the shirt near the bed and quickly put it back on, flashing a grin at Juvia.

“Alright, there we go. You ready to head out now?” he said, holding out his hand to her. She blushed a little and smiled, nodding as she took his hand.

“Yes, I’m ready darling. Let’s go!”

They headed for Jack’s straight away, wanting to be sure to catch this woman Anais Willowberry. As they walked they discussed what they were going to talk to her about. They decided that they would describe the animal and then make mention of the book Juvia had. They weren’t sure what kind of person she might be, so they had no way of even guessing how she might react when they told her what they had found. It was possible that she might not even believe them. But then there was also the slim chance that she had actually heard of these things before and would know what to do with them. They were both hoping for the latter, as it would make their jobs a hell of a lot easier. 

“By the way Gray, where did that flier come from?” Juvia asked as they rounded a corner, glancing at him curiously. They had been so caught up in the moment and rushing to reach Jack’s that he had yet to tell her how he found it. 

“Actually, I dunno. I found on the floor near the door,” he said with a shrug. “I heard some rustling while you were in the bathroom, and got up and found that flier on the floor by the bottom of the door.”

Juvia frowned a little, shaking her head. “That’s rather strange. I wonder if someone has overheard us discussing the Glacies Strix. Or perhaps word got around from some of the others that were down there with us. I imagine that it’s been quite talked about by now.”

Gray nodded and shrugged again. “Yeah that’s probably it. Whoever it was did us a major favor. Or I hope so at least, providing this lady isn’t a total nutjob.” 

They continued on to Jack’s, walking hand in hand. He’d glance over at her every so often just to catch a look of her. She looked so determined and serious, her brow slightly crinkled and her mouth set in a firm line. He really admired that side of her. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her other sides, but this particular side of her showed her strength, her passion, her iron will. She cared so much about others and completely threw herself into her work. He knew how important finishing this job was to her, and he wanted to do everything he could to help her in that. And to be honest, he felt bad for the innocent people in town that had nothing to do with whatever was going on here. He wondered if they even knew about the enchantments being used on the town, and hell, some of them might have been drawn here because of that magic. It almost drew Juvia in when she was feeling empty and depressed. There might be a large amount of people were lured to this town under false pretenses. He knew he would be pretty pissed off if he found out that he was lured somewhere by magic. But the most important thing here was helping Juvia solve this mystery and taking care of the town’s water problem. 

They finally reached Jack’s and entered quickly, both anxious to find this Anais woman. They had high hopes that she would be the expert she claimed to be and not some screwball hack. Well Gray was thinking that anyway. Juvia probably wouldn’t be one to assume that they lack might be unreliable. She always tried to see the best in everyone she encountered. When they entered the tavern, they saw that it was fairly vacant sans a few locals taking up stools at the bar itself. Jack looked up from drying a glass and saw them, giving Gray a nod of greeting. Gray led Juvia by the hand toward the bar area, straight for Jack. 

“Greetings friend. Can I get you something to drink?” Jack greeted him,flashing a friendly smile, glancing over at Juvia and then back to Gray. Gray shook his head and smiled in a friendly enough way.

“No thanks Jack, not right now. Jack, this is Juvia Lockser, the mage that was hired by the mayor to solve the town’s water problem. She also happens to be my girlfriend,” Gray said, introducing her to the tavern owner.

The older man smiled genuinely, the laugh lines that creased near his eyes showing as he chuckled, reaching forward and extending a hand to Juvia. “Well it’s an honor, Miss Lockser. There’s been all sorts of talk about you in this place. You’ve caused quite a bit of excitement in this little town of ours.” 

Juvia smiled brightly as she shook his hand, her cheeks flushing a little. “Oh, well I do hope that the chatter has been good. I want to do my very best for your lovely town,” she said sweetly without a hint of irony or sarcasm. Her gorgeous dark blue eyes shined with sincerity and excitement as she spoke. “I hope that we will be able to solve this problem very soon!” 

“Actually Jack ol’ boy, that’s partially why we’re here. Do you know where we can find Anais Willowberry?” Gray asked, looking around the tavern and then returning his gaze to Jack. Jack’s expression then went blank, blinking several times and staring at them, not speaking a word. Gray looked back at him, eyebrows raised as he waited for some kind of response. “Uhh...Jack?” 

After a few moments, the man shook himself out of his momentary stupor and cleared his throat, straightening himself. “Sorry about that. It’s just… well, no one goes asking for Anais unless they’re a local. Just a bit strange to hear someone from out of town ask about her. She’s a bit...wild...and all.”

Juvia and Gray glanced nervously at each other and then back to the gray haired barkeep. “Um.. excuse me Jack…” Juvia began tentatively, “What exactly do you mean by...wild?”

Jack motioned for them to both come closer, motioning to the barstools right in front of him. The two mages looked rather confused, but accepted his off and each sat in a stool. Jack leaned on the bar and leaned in close to them, speaking in hushed tones, “ Now I don’t want to make her sound like some kind of deviant or somethin’, but Anais has a reputation for being a bit...out there, ya know what I mean? Says she can talk to spirits and animals. We just sort of let her be because she’s so damn old. 110 at last count! Her family was one of the original families to start this settlement. She was just a young girl when they came here, uprooted from everything she knew and loved. They say she never really adjusted to life out here, always taking her own path on everything, forging her own way. Unfortunately that led to her earning a reputation as a bit of a weirdo. Now, no one can deny that she knows her way around a barnyard. Whatever ails your livestock, Anais Willowberry will have a cure. There’s no denying that, no sir. And she knows everything there is to know about animal husbandry. Mind you, sometimes her reasoning is a little unorthodox, but her remedies are sure fire. Anyway, I don’t want to talk your ears off about it, but I feel that I should warn you about her. She’s a bit off her rocker, is all.” 

The two had listened rather intently as he described the woman they sought, but rather than the story of a crazy old loon, they each found a note of themselves in it. As a young boy, Gray had lost everything he had known and loved when Deliora ravaged and destroyed his entire village, killing his family in the process. And Juvia had been alienated from her family and peers because of the unrelenting rain of sadness that followed her wherever she went. Both had found a home amongst the odd and peculiar, a home amongst their own kind in a place called Fairy Tail. So, while they would heed his warnings and approach the old woman cautiously, they would not do so with closed minds. They would be open to what she might have to say. Afterall, it sounded like she did know what she was talking about, from what Gray understood. Juvia might be a little more prone to giving the woman the benefit of the doubt, but at this point, Gray was willing to be a little more trusting than usual. If she could help them, then so be it, screws loose or not. 

“Well, thank you for the information, sir, but we would still most definitely like to meet with Ms. Willowberry. We are very much in need of an animal expert,” Juvia said kindly, smiling politely. Jack glanced at Gray and the ice nodded. 

“She’s the boss, Jack. So are you gonna tell us where we can find this lady or not?” Gray said with a smirk, looking to the barkeep. The older man sighed and shook his head.

“Alright then, right over this way,” he said, stepping out from behind the bar and waving for them to follow. 

.xxx.

The two mages followed Jack to the back of the tavern, into a small room that sat off to the side. He led them to where a small cloaked figure sat slightly hunched over. Wisps of wild gray hair stuck out from under the hood, pointing every which way. They could see the shadow of a slightly hooked nose that donned a sizeable mole at the end of it, and a wheezing breath that escaped from under the hood. A bony, frail looking hand grasped a glass and drew it up to a pair of softly crinkled lips. Once the glass was set back down, Jack leaned down closer to the figure and held his hand near his mouth, as if to amplify his voice.

“Hey there Anais! Got some people that want to talk with ya,” he said, practically yelling.

The hooded figure barely shifted in her seat, not showing any sort of response to Jack’s attempt at an introduction. Instead she drew the glass up to her lips again and took a long, quenching sip before setting the glass back down on the table. She exhaled, her breath rattling as she did so, sounding like a thousand bones crunching under someone’s foot. The sound alone sent a chill up Juvia’s spine. Jack looked at them and shook his head, then turning back to the old woman, giving it another go.

“Anais! I said I got a couple of people that want to talk to ya!” he repeated, louder this time. Now the heads of a few other regulars curiously turned in their direction, looking to see what all the noise was about. When they saw that it had to do with Anais Willowberry they muttered amongst themselves and went back to their activities. Jack grimaced, shaking his head.

“I said-” he began, but was stopped by a bony hand being held up in his face.

“I heards ya jus’ fine, ya dolt! Lemme finish ma scotch and then I’ll conversate with the youngins,” she croaked out, reaching for her glass again. She took another long sip, finishing off the glass before setting it back down on the table, letting out a satisfied sighed. “Now that’s the stuff. Gits ya right in yer gullet! Heh heh!” The old crone cackled at her own quip, slapping the tabletop as she laughed. Juvia looked slightly alarmed, but Gray on the other hand was rather amused. 

Anais cleared her throat and cocked her head, peering up at Juvia and Gray, who stared back curiously, neither of them sure of what to say. “You two are here to talk business then, ain’tcha? Have a seat then,” she croaked, motioning to the chair across the table from her. She craned her neck and looked up at Jack. “You can excuse yerself now, ya damn whippersnapper! I gots business to discuss with these here youngins!”

Jack looked slightly perturbed but simply shook his head and turned to leave, mumbling to himself as he went. The elderly woman watched him go and waited until he was long gone before she turned back to Gray and Juvia. She pulled down her hood, revealing a wild, untamed mane of silvery gray locks that sprung out every which way. Throughout her hair there were strands of beads threaded into it, and feathers tied to the ends. Her eyes were a shocking, intense shade of violet that grabbed and held your attention, holding you captive. Though she was quite advanced in years, her gaze did not reveal it for her eyes were bright and vibrant. Her age betrayed her in the appearance of her soft, wrinkled skin that looked almost papery to the touch. She eyed them both, looking one up and down and then the other, giving a little grunt as she finished.

“Mages, ey?” she rasped, as they sat in the chairs across from her. They nervously glanced at each other and then looked back to her, uncertain of who should speak first. “Well ya can talk can’tcha? Less’n you be missin’ yer tongue, then we got a mighty big problem!” She cackled again at her joke, her jovility contagious as they both tittered a little, relaxing slightly. 

“Um.. yes, we are mages,” Juvia began, folding her hands in her lap anxiously. “We come from the guild Fairy Tail. Initially Mayor Romsdale hired me to solve the town’s water crisis, but since then my guildmate and team member has joined me. I’m Juvia Lockser, and this is Gray Fullbuster.” She motioned to Gray, who nodded at the old woman and held out a hand for her to shake. However, she didn’t take his hand and simply sniffed at him, leaving Gray to awkwardly withdraw his hand. She stared for a minute and then grunted, nodding at him.

“So you’re a couple of Maki’s brats, huh? That ol whippersnapper! Well at least that idiot Romsdale did one thing right,” she barbed, sneering as she said the mayor’s name. It was clear that she held some disdain for the him. Neither Juvia nor Gray had the time to process the face that she knew Makarov before Anais turned her attention to Gray. “You, you’re an ice mage, hm?” 

Gray sat up a little, straightening himself as she addressed him. “Uh..yeah, I am actually. How’d you know?” She stared at him for a long moment and then chuckled. 

“The whole cool as a cucumber act ya got there, boy. And I can feel the cold from yeh,” she cackled, waving him off. She turned her attention to Juvia now. “And you, you’re the water mage. But don’t got to have much brains to guess that, even if I didn’t know yeh was hired for the job. Ya wear yer emotions like a second skin, yeh do!” 

Juvia felt a chill run up her spine as Anais gazed at her, making her feel as though she could see straight into her soul. The old woman had something...odd...about her that Juvia couldn’t quite put her finger on. She didn’t exactly feel uncomfortable, but she didn’t feel at ease either. But one thing was certain- she could read Juvia like a book! She simply nodded in response.

“Ms. Willowberry, we’ve come to you about… well...you see...well… it would seem that we’ve come across some...creatures…,” Juvia said, stumbling a bit, casting a glance sideways at Gray who gently nodded to her, urging her to go on. 

“Creatures, ya say? What sort of creatures?” she asked, her violet eyes shining with curiosity. 

“You see..they’re not exactly...traditional animals,” the water mage continued nervously. 

“I see, I see. Go on then,” Anais said, urging her. 

“They’re rather large bird-like creatures that strongly resemble a certain creature I found in an animal guide, however, the source might be considered a bit questionable by some,” she went on, her voice breaking slightly from nerves. She felt Gray’s hand gently lay on the small of her back, rubbing in small, light circles. She relaxed immediately and then continued. “But well, we’re not sure how to remove them from the mines. It seems they have infested the waterways and are currently roosting down in those caves. We seek to remove them, but we don’t have the first clue as to how to handle these creatures. We want to be as humane as possible, of course.”

The old woman looked at her critically, those fierce violet eyes arresting her gaze. She was frozen on the spot, suddenly feeling silly for rambling as much as she did. Why was she staring like that? What had Juvia said wrong? It almost as if she was….waiting? But what would she be waiting for.

“What are these “creatures” as you call them?” she croaked, looking back and forth between the two, baring her yellowing grin, several teeth missing from their proper place. They were both severely confused now, especially Juvia. Was she goading them? Poking fun? 

“Well… the book called them… well they were called…” Juvia began carefully.

“Yes? G’won now…” Anais urged, leaning forward a little, her eyes shining with excitement as her bony hands gripped the table. 

“Glacies Strix!” Juvia squeaked out suddenly, feeling rather nervous now. The old woman whooped and slapped the table top, releasing a braying laughter that seemed to reverberate off the walls of the room.

“Ha HA we got’em now! That no good, underhanded great-nephew of mine ain’t gonna git away with his funny business no more!” she cackled. Suddenly the frail looking old woman was animated and mobile, getting up from her seat and pulling her cloak over her head. With the help of a rather ornate looking walking stick, she got herself to her feet. She automatically began hobbling toward the door as fast as her two spindly little legs could take her. Both Juvia and Gray just sat there, dumbfounded. She stopped at the doorway and turned around to address then.

“Well c’mon youngins you want to help those birds, don’tcha? We gots ter get movin’ and quick!” she barked, waving them along. They simultaneously got up from their chairs and hurried after her. The followed the old woman out of the bar and onto the street, where she paused for a moment, looking to and fro. Once she chose a direction, they continued to follow her.

“Uh, Ms. Willowberry,” Gray began.

“Anais, just call me Anais, dammit. Youngins bein’ too formal,” she growled as she hobbled along. She moving surprisingly quick for someone of her age. They were hustling to keep up with her. 

“Okay right, Anais,” he started again. “Should we be talking to someone about this?” He glanced over at Juvia, who looked positively baffled. She was feeling rather nervous about this entire situation. Where were they going? What were they doing? What did this insane old woman have in mind? And had she said the Mayor was her great-nephew?!

“You, water mage, I’m goin’ to be needin ya to form a storm inside in the caves while your ice lovin’ boyfriend here freezes it all over, ya got it? Now c’mon you whippersnappers!” Anais commanded as they continued to travel forward. 

“Um.. yes, certainly...Anais..” Juvia stammered, still feeling rather uncertain. “But shouldn’t we inform the Mayor as to what we’re doing?”

“Ha! That ain’t gonna be doin’ no good! Who’dya think put ‘em there in the first damn place?”


	11. Mating Season

Gray and Juvia followed Anais through town, both surprised at how quickly the old woman could travel, given her advanced age. She kept snapping at them to keep up with her and to look inconspicuous. If there was one thing that Anais Willowberry was not, it was inconspicuous. They watched her hobble ahead of them, but not providing any information as to where they were headed. She simply told them to follow behind. After a short while they arrived at a hitching post and attached to it was an old horse with a small cart attached to the back of it. Anais stopped in front of it and turned toward the two of them.

“You two git in back and I’ll drive. We’re headed out to my place first to get some supplies, then we’ll do something about those birds,” she rasped, motioning to the small cart. She climbed up onto the horse with surprising ease and nodded at them. Both stared at her, awestruck. 

“Well what ye two be waitin’ on already? Git in the back!” Anais croaked at them sternly, raising her voice a bit this time.

The old woman was growing impatient with them, and they realized they better do as they were told. Gray climbed up into the old wooden cart and offered a hand to help Juvia climb up after him. They sat themselves down and Anais proceeded to prod her mare to move into action. The horse started to move, slowly ambling up the road, toward the outskirts of town. They turned off onto a small dirt road that led off in a direction neither of them had been yet. Juvia looked at Gray questioningly and he shrugged a little. Ultimately, Juvia knew that Anais was the only one that could really help them and it was best for them to follow her lead.

After awhile they came to a small ramshackled house that lay a couple of miles outside of town. Anais stopped the horse and cart, sliding off the back of the swayback mare and began to undo the hitch that connected her to the cart. Juvia and Gray got down quickly, and Gray moved to help her undo the hitch. Once the cart hitch was undone, she led the horse toward a pen that was on the side of the house. When the mare was properly inside the fence, Anais motioned for them to follow her as she headed toward the shack. Juvia frowned a little as she noticed the dilapidated state of the tiny house, encased in old tiles that seemed to be disintegrating where they hung, large chunks of siding missing. The windows were cracked and covered from the inside, shielding any outside light from creeping in. There were wild brambles of dried vines that were twisted around the two posts that held up the tiny roof over the concrete porch. Anais unlocked the door and opened it to the inside of her home. Gray and Juvia were greeted with a sight they most assuredly did not expect. 

They were greeted with the face of none other than the young Jasmine Campbell, daughter of the innkeeper. She stared at them wide-eyed, seeming to be at a loss for words. Both Gray and Juvia stared at her, uncertain as to what to say, causing the tension of the situation to grow further. But that tension came to a crashing halt when Jasmine broke into a grin and threw her arms open, wrapping them around Juvia. 

“Oh Miss Juvia! I’m so glad that you came!” she exclaimed excitedly, squeezing the bewildered water mage. “You must have found my message!”

Juvia shook her head in disbelief, eyes squinting as she took in what was happening. She let out an audible oof as the girl embraced her with great enthusiasm Jasmine giggled and jumped up and down. 

“Git a hold of yourself girl! We gots work to be doin’!” Anais barked, shaking her cane at the bright eyed youth. Jasmine let go of Juvia, but still stood there, beaming at them.

“Wait a minute...that...that was you??” Juvia asked, thoroughly confused by the entire situation. She brought her hands to her head, shaking it vigorously. “But this doesn’t make any sense!”

Jasmine blushed a little and laughed again. “I left you the book at the library! And then the flier under your door! Miss Anais knew about those birds being put into the mines, but she couldn’t do anything about it, not until you approached her about it,” Jasmine explained. 

“The thing was, the Glacies Strix are a magical animal that is rarely found these days. They come from a very sequestered area in the country of Iceberg. They usually inhabit areas that are protected by nature spirits. They’ve been hunted for centuries because their feathers and antlers are said to have healing and anti-aging properties when used in certain potions. At one point in time the Glacies strix were all over the Great North, but now have been reduced to a fable. That’s why it appears in that book as a mythical beast. The birds are always protected by a concealment spell and only those that are aware of their presence can speak of them. Once you spoke their name to Miss Anais she was able to come to your aid!”

Gray spoke up this time. “And just how do you tie into all this?” he asked, eyebrows raised. Juvia looked to Jasmine again, wondering the very same thing. 

“Oh, well I am Miss Anais’ apprentice!” she provided, smiling broadly. “She’s a wizard herself, and she noticed my ability for magic when I was pretty young. She offered to teach me what she knew, and I have been secretly studying under ever since! My Mama has absolutely no idea, as she wouldn’t think it was proper for me to study magic. But my Papa knows! He said he was raised up to believe in Miss Anais’ abilities, and she was good friends with my great grandparents, who were farmers back in those days. So now I’m learning about healing magic and potions. Also about all sorts of animals and wildlife. I still have a whole lot to learn, but it’s been amazing so far!” 

Both mages gaped at the young girl, blinking in disbelief. They glanced at each other and then back to her. This was certainly a turn of events that they were not expecting at all. 

“So...you’re a wizard??” Juvia asked, still a bit confused. “And so is Ms. Willowberry?”

Jasmine beamed, nodding. “Yup sure am, well a wizard in training, at least. And Miss Anais is one of the most skilled healers and magic zoologists in all of Fiore! Heck, probably in all of Earthland I wouldn’t doubt! She’s also well versed in several forms of Applied Magics.” 

“Enough yapping, girl! Get my things together so we can go take care of those poor birds!” Anais croaked suddenly, waving her hands in the air impatiently. “Damn youngins always flappin’ yer jaws when you should be workin!” 

Jasmine took that as her cue to stop talking and get to work. The two Fairy Tail mages stood around, uncertain as to what to do while the old woman and her apprentice moved about the small house, gathering various items. After a short while they seemed to have gathered everything they needed and stopped scurrying about the house. Anais turned to Juvia and Gray, peering out at them from underneath her mountain of wild nearly white locks. 

“Well you two, grab somethin’ up and we’ll get movin’,” she said, motioning to the pile of things that had been gathered in the middle of the living room area. They each grabbed up a satchel and closely followed behind Anais as she hobbled through the house, heading toward the back. They passed through a crowded kitchen that was cluttered with plants strung up for drying and a vast array of jars and bottles that contained an assortment of glowing and glittering liquids. The whole room was teeming with magical power. Juvia felt a strange sensation wash over her as they passed through. She wondered if Gray had felt it as well.

They exited the kitchen through a heavy wooden door that opened up to a clearing behind the house. There was a larger carriage and Jasmine was already bringing around a second horse, this one much younger and far more fit than her old mare that had struggled to pull them all here. The two followed the old woman as she hobbled toward the back of the carriage to a hatch that was open in the back. She motioned for them to stow their parcels into the compartment, communicating in nothing more than grunts and hand movements. The old crone was impatient with them, rushing along the process. Finally, they had everything loaded, the horses hitched, and everyone piled into the carriage. Anais clambered up onto the driver’s seat and and adjusted herself to the proper position.

“Git goin’ yeh equines!” she urged the horses, lightly whipping the reigns, and they jumped into action, strolling down the old dirt road away from the house and heading toward town. They rode along for awhile, the scenery passing by them as they went. Gray looked at Juvia, his brow furrowed.

“Gray darling, what’s the matter?” she asked urgently, her eyes filled with concern as she reached to touch his arm lightly. “You seem troubled.” The ice mage frowned a little and shook his head.

“Nah, not troubled. Just thinking,” he said, looking out the window. They were getting close to town. Anais would be going through town and then heading toward the other side of it where the mines were located. He turned toward Juvia again. “Just wondering what Anais has up her sleeve.”

.xxx.

Once they were across town and had reached the the area near the mines, Anais brought the carriage to a stop. All through town people had been pointing and some calling out to the old woman as she had her horses trotting down the main road. It was no secret where they were going. Gray couldn’t help but wonder why she had gone through such lengths to keep this all a secret until now, yet was going through town like a mad person. The old woman was quite unpredictable, and he really wasn’t sure what was going to come next. When they finally stopped Gray was the first to climb down from the carriage. Anais had already dismounted and was hobbling toward the back of the carriage to the storage compartment. Jasmine descended from the coach, closely followed by Juvia. The young girl hurried to attend to the horses, unhitching them from the carriage and leading them to a post that she secured them to. 

“You two help me over here!” Anais called to Juvia and Gray, and they quickly went to her side. They helped to unload the compartment, doing most of the heavy lifting and grunt work as the aged crone instructed them. The ice mage was still a little wary of the whole situation, not certain that this woman was all she was cracked up to be. After a little while they had everything unloaded and organized the way she instructed them to. 

“I hope you don’t expect us to carry all of this crap down there because that’s gonna be next to impossible,” Gray said gruffly, motioning to all the equipment and supplies that she had them organize. He was growing tired of the lack of progress and being ordered around by this old lady. Something had to give.

Anais cackled and waved her staff at him. “Cool yer britches, Frosty. We’ll be moving along soon enough.” She turned away from him and raised her hands over the considerably large pile of goods. The began to emit a soft golden glow as she enchanted them, then lifting off of the ground. She pulled up the hood on her cloak, covering her bushy haired head and started to walk toward the mine entrance, her supplies and goods following in an obedient line, floating and moving of their own accord. Jasmine followed behind closely, remaining the ever faithful apprentice. The two Fairy Tail wizards looked at one another, a bit dumbfounded. They didn’t see this type of magic often. Juvia motioned for them to follow and Gray nodded. Juvia went first and he followed close behind, grabbing the hand that she had held out to him. 

When they got to the entrance, Anais handed off lanterns to each of them, informing them that they were lit with a magic flame that wouldn’t go out. Gray couldn’t help but think about how Natsu would try to break open the lantern just to taste the fire. They worked through the first part of the mines fairy quickly, and when they arrived at the creaky rope ladder, Anais had other designs. She had a large plank of wood that she slide from under her supplies, told them all to step on it, and she levitated them all down to ground level. She brought down her supplies on a second run, then turning and leading the way toward the cavern where the glacies strix would be. The calls could already be heard from a distance, the mournful wails echoing sadly through the deep caverns. He hadn’t realized it until now, but their calls had been muffled up until this point. It was also getting colder. Almost as cold as his native Iceberg. But from what the manual had said these creatures were from the mountainous region of the same territory, so it would be natural that they would be accustomed to such freezing temperatures. It even made a tingling chill run up the spine of an ice demon slayer. He half expected that the path would become treacherous for them to walk on given the ice, but Anais had taken care of that as well. She cast a spell that repelled the ice, allowing them to walk anywhere without altering the environment around them. Gray had to admit that the more he saw her magic in action, the more he was impressed by Anais’ skills. There was something that was eating away at him and now seemed a good a time as any to ask her about it.

“So you said the mayor is your great nephew?” he asked a bit loudly, his voice echoing in the chamber. It had come suddenly, surprising both Jasmine and Juvia, who looked up sharply, eyes wide. His partner looked at him, eyebrows furrowed and head tilted to one side, her mouth in a slight pout. He scrunched his forehead determinedly and nodded at her, trying to indicate that there was a point to his actions. He only hoped that she would trust him enough to not question his motives.

“Yep, damn whippersnapper causing me all this trouble here!” she croaked, still moving forward at the same steady pace. They all kept in line, keeping up with her and the lot of goods she had floating along behind her. Gray jogged up a bit further, trying to get closer to the old woman. 

“Why would he even do this? I mean, it makes no sense for him to mess up his own town and then hire someone to fix it,” Gray said, scoffing a little. “What’s the point of that?”

Anais still kept moving but cackled loudly, dismissing him with a wave of her bony, long fingered hand. “Oh you youngins are too much! Yeh don’t see anything ter it! He never intended for yer lady love there ta fix anything at all! T’was a big ol’ hoax on his part!” She cackled again, wheezing between fits of laughter, her old body rattling and shaking as she reveled in her merriment. Gray glanced quickly at Juvia. She had developed a thick skin about a number of things, but being laughed at definitely wasn’t one of them. She was frowning, her eyes glassy. 

Ah great. She was obviously upset. And if there was anything more dangerous than an a determined Juvia, it was a determined AND upset Juvia. He could see her lower lip start to quiver and her shoulders tensing up. He wasn’t sure if she was going to cry or blow her top. Juvia was a little unpredictable that way. Either way he couldn’t blame her, really. She had been played the whole time, the mayor using her as a patsy in whatever plan it was he had. Gray watched her cautiously as he continued to question Anais, hoping to get a better answer out of older mage. 

“Well if he wasn’t counting on her fixing anything, why did he bother posting a job request in the first place then?” Gray pressed, wanting an answer. She waved him off again, chuckling a bit, but at least keeping her cool this time. 

“Like I said, all just a ruse, youngin’. Was required in order to get those funds,” she said, still hobbing forward, her staff clicking against the icy floor as they move through the caverns. Juvia and Gray looked at each other questioningly, obviously clueless as to what she was talking about, and she seemed to know this. “Them crisis funds from the king.” Several moments of dead silence hung in the air before Anais was head sighing and the sound of her bushy head shaking could be heard. 

“Never do no research,” she mumbled. “Alright, well here’s what it goes now- Romsdale, mah nephew, he’s been wantin’ to make this into some kinda touristy whosawhatits havagoodtime and allthefixins and whatnot kind of place. And it just wasn’t takin because well, ya see the land around here! It’s in the middle of the blasted desert! Only reason we got any agricultural settlement is because we got an enchanted aquaduct underneath this here area! So buildin’ all them wells and maintainin’ ‘em with magic all these years had let us thrive and exist. Never done growed any bigger than a modest farm community, but that was always good enough for most folks. But not Jeremiah, nope. He wanted the glitz and glam of big city livin’! Went off to Crocus for his education and when he was guilted into comin’ back by his family, and eventually groomed to take the office of Mayor, he had a disdain for the way this town was run. Wanted to change everything, make it some kind of tourist location. I’m sure yeh seen those awful fliers and got them cruddy ol’ charms cast on yeh! Buncha hooey I say! Can’t put tin foil on a rock and call it a diamond!” 

Anais stopped for a moment, left hand on her hip, right hand on her staff, her weight leaning toward the right. She stood there for several moments with her back to them, her fragile looking shoulders heaving with every breath she took. Gray wondered if she was tired. He shot a look at Juvia. She looked concerned as well. Suddenly he felt bad and wanted to offer Anais help, but then she started to move again and continued to explain. Her things started to move again and so did they. 

“So anyway, he wrote proposal for that king’s “Town Restoration” fund that they give to places in financial crisis and whatnot, but the king’s people done come to visit and decided we wasn’t in a bad enough spot to need that kind of money. And Jeremiah, hooo boy, he sure done didn’t like that none at ALL! Hehheh! He sure did lose his cool on that one! Swore that king to all damnation and back! So that was about when he came up with a plan to get it by more devious means, and that’s how you all ended up here! But he done stepped way over the line bringing these birds here! Especially during matin’ season!” she squawked angrily, stomping her feet as they came to the larger cave entrance. She had to practically scream to be heard now, as the call from the Strix was nearly deafening. Gray looked at Juvia. 

“Did she just say mating season?!” he yelled. 

.xxx.

Juvia stared back at him, wide eyed, a blush spreading to her cheeks. Clearly she had heard what Anais had said and was in a bit of a shock. It seemed that Gray had gone a bit flushed as well, so it wasn’t just her. The old woman had made no previous mention of it so this was yet another surprise for them. She wrung her hands nervously and looked away, then glancing sidelong at Gray. Why was she so easily embarrassed? After all, she had always been so forward with Gray, so obvious about her fervent affections for him. And now they were actually  _ together _ . They were finally a couple! He welcomed affection and attention from her. Yet here she was blushing like a schoolgirl at the very mention of something like a mating season. It didn’t even have to do with  _ her _ mating! It was BIRDS for heaven’s sake! Sometimes she really wondered about her own mind. But truthfully, she supposed it felt different because now it was so very much more real now than it was before. And in a very short while, all of these things would be of very direct concern to her. 

“Juvia? You okay?” he called out to her when she didn’t reply, and she stared back at him, blinking several times before shaking herself out of the embarrassed stupor. Gray looked upon her with growing concern, taking a step toward her and grabbing her hands, squeezing them gently. She smiled gently at him, and nodded. 

“Y-yes, I’m fine. Really, Gray. I promise. Sorry, I just got overwhelmed for a moment I guess,” she said. She turned to see what Anais was up to now. They had entered the main caves and they could see one of the birds circling high above them, calling out now and then. Her stomach tightened and her back tensed. They had left the other one caged so long… how terrible. She turned to look upon the poor strix and saw that it was...not there. Blinking in surprise and looking around feverishly, very confused, she gasped, mouth agape. 

“But..but where! Where did it go?!” she exclaimed, still looking around the large cavern. It wasn’t the sort of thing that could just up and disappear on its own. At first Gray seemed thrown off by her actions, looking at her rather oddly, but then he quickly caught on, looking around the cavern himself now. It was then that he too saw that the previously caged glacies strix was missing. Just then there was a thunderous call that blared at them, echoing through the caverns, a symphony of dissonance assaulting them at every angle. It was horrible and violent, causing an unrelenting sense of terror and dread. 

It felt like the world might end at that very moment, but nothing at all mattered. Pain..there was so much pain. They all moaned and cried for relief, for anything, anything at all to make it stop. It was excruciating, unbearable. She just wanted to die right then and there And then a soft flute sound started to play the most beautiful tune Juvia had ever heard. The wonderfully ethereal tune drifted through the air and encircled them all, relieving any sadness or pain they felt. It healed their wounds and soothed their souls. As her vision finally came into focus, Juvia could see that it was Anais playing the flute. She continued for several moments as the others broke free from the pain enveloped state they had been stuck in. 

The music stopped and Anais lowered the flute from her lips. Raising her hands above her head, staff high in the air as the stone in it gleamed brightly, Anais called out to the great beasts the flew swooped and swirled overhead. 

“ Nuntio pacificis magnanime creaturae!” she cried out, her voice echoing with a strange singsong like tone to it. It was reverberating and undulating almost like the call of the birds. The cried back almost immediately, still sounding quite angry, though perhaps less fierce than before, and she responded in kind. 

“Et nemo vult nocere. Sunt amicis meis epularer,” she called out this time, and the Strix called back to her, their calmer even still. It seemed that they were listening to her words, whatever it was that she was saying. Moments later, they flew lower and lower until they came to rest, perching on huge ridges of ice that protruded from the walls of the cavern. They stared down at the others, blinking curiously. When at rest and not crying out in terror, they were quite beautiful and majestic looking. Juvia noticed the intricate dark blue patterns on their light colored feathers. They seemed wide eyed and curious about them, shuffling their wings as they stared, letting out soft hooting and humming sounds. 

“Now, that’s better there,” Anais said, smiling and nodding to the animals. She turned back to her human companions. She looked at Juvia. “Now ter answer your question girly, ‘course I wasn’t gonna leave her all caged up like that! Ya think I’m the cruel sort?” 

Juvia was at a loss for words. She stood there, jaw dropped, mouth moving, but no words coming out. She scrambled for something to say, but was struggling considerably. “I..we didn’t...oh goodness! We never meant any harm! We just didn’t know! I’m so sorry!” she stammered and then turned to the birds. “I’m so very sorry!” she whispered, pleading with them. Anais started to chuckle.

“They knows yeh mean no harm, girl. Calm yerself. I done been coming out here checkin’ on these here fellas for some time now. But I ain’t been able to break the protective enchantment on them. Had to be a water wizard ter that was granted permission ter enter these here caves, and that was you dearie. So now we can git ter these here creatures bein’ returned to their rightful home. But first we hasta let ‘em make a nest so they can mate and she can lay them eggs! The whole thing’ll have to be moved after that!” Anais went on, motioning about with her hands, the glacies strix watching attentively. Gray watched, arms crossed over his chest, shoulders squared. He looked skeptical, as per usual. Juvia felt her entire body tense. Now wasn’t the time to be contrarian. She loved him dearly, but sometimes Gray’s tendency for obstinance could be a little frustrating.

“Wouldn’t it be safer for their young to move them before mating?” Gray asked, frowning deeply. Juvia softened a little. So  _ that  _ was his concern. She silently scolded herself for questioning him like that. Something she loved about him was his care and compassion for others. 

Anais shook her head, scowling. “Nah, unfortunately, that is just not gon’ ter be an option. When my idiot great nephew got these two here from the shifty dark merchant’s guild that done sold ‘em to him they didn’t tell him they was about to start their matin’ season! He just took the first strange and out of ordinary beast he could get his hands on! The dummy ain’t done no kinda research! Shouldn’ta been doin’ it in the first place, mind you, but still, ya done think he’da put more thought into it!” 

“What will we need to do then?” Juvia asked, still puzzled as to what role they were going to play in this. She was more than willing to help, but had no clue as to how she was going to do so. Anais hobbled over to an area that was piled high with rocks and debris. It looked as though a cave in had occurred there some time ago. She waved her staff and the pile lifted and shifted aside, revealing a large hole in the ground. The elderly wizard turned to Juvia and pointed at her.

“You, girl! Juvia yer name was? I need you ter bring up some hot water quick as yeh can!” she ordered loudly. Juvia stared at her, blinking repeatedly. She wasn’t used to be being ordered to perform her magic on command.

“I generally only summon hot water when I am very upset or angry. And certainly not when someone simply commands me to do so,” Juvia responded, a bit shortly. What did this woman expect of her? Anais chuckled a little. Juvia frowned. She did not like being laughed at.

“Well how’s about if I told yeh that the mayor intended to have ol’ Ojo kill your beloved Ice man over there?” she croaked out, still chuckling a little, one brilliant violet eye peeking out at Juvia from beneath her mass of snowy locks. Suddenly Juvia’s demeanor changed and she lost her usual soft, gentle kindness. There was cold, vacant look in her eyes, and shadow cast over her usually pretty face. She was now like a raging, snarling, wild beast. Someone dare to threaten her beloved? Her Gray? 

“That’s a girl now! Conjure the waters from below and heat ‘em as hot as you can get ‘em!” Anais cried out, whooping as she waved her staff in the air. “Remember how they used ya just to try and get that money! How they set ya up ter fail! And they wanted ta take yer love from ya ta boot!” 

Juvia felt the rage building up inside her, pulsing through her veins with such intensity that her skin felt like it was on fire. She screamed out as she willed the water she could feel dwelling beneath the surface to show itself. The stream surged upward, bubbling and boiling, steam hissing off of it as it whirled in a perfect cyclone. She didn’t even need to call out the commands. With her emotions raging this much, just her mere thoughts were strong enough to control her powers. 

“Fantastic! Yer doin’ just excellent there Juvia! Now if ya can hold that there a wee bit longer we’ll be in good business! Now you! Ice wizard!” she called out, turning to Gray. The old woman beckoned him forward, and the stepped forth, stealing glances at Juvia. Clearly he was more concerned about Juvia’s reactions rather than what Anais had told them a short while ago. 

“Now listen carefully youngin’, we needs the hot water that we can encase the eggs in perfectly smooth ice. What I need you ta do is git in there and as soon as the female strix drops in her egg you freeze the water around it. Then the male strix will come grab it up. It’ll take two passes total. Yeh got that?” Anais explained carefully to Gray, who nodded firmly. 

The process all happened so quickly. Juvia kept the cyclone of hot water steady as the female dropped in her eggs, watching Jasmine assist Anais keep them levitated as Gray froze them, and then the larger male strix came and gently cradled the frozen egg in his huge talons. It was all over as quickly as it had started, and Juvia realized it was the longest she had ever kept water heated like that when not in the middle of an intense fight. It took an insane amount of power and control and she felt rather wiped out. But something else was weighing on her mind. Anais had said that Ojo was intended to kill Gray… so he had been part of this entire ruse, too. He was playing her for a fool the entire time, and she had fallen for it, believed he was her friend. She frowned sadly. And even worse still… why would they stoop so low as to kill someone just to get a few measly dollars just to spruce up their stupid town?!

While today had gained them a lot of answers, it had also brought forth more questions. Their next step would be to safely transport these animals back to their rightful home. And then there was the matter of the mayor to deal with. He was in for a hell of a fight if that was what he wanted. FairyTail definitely wasn’t going to let him get away with this.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	12. Showdown

With the aid of the enchantments Anais cast, the small group of them were able to transport the Glacies Strix to the train station. There they met Ms. Willowberry’s old friend Ephram Weetz, a short, bearded, middle aged man with a curled mustache and a kind face. He was a magizoologist who tended to a variety of magical creatures with a traveling circus. He was a seasoned professional and had spent years studying almost every magical creature known to man. Though she trusted Ms. Willowberry’s judgement, Juvia couldn’t help but be worried.

“Will Daphnis and Chloe really be okay in there, Mr. Weetz?” Juvia asked, biting her lip as she watched a few of the animal tenders load the strix’ cages into the freezer car of the train. 

“Daphnis and Chloe?” Weetz asked, his head cocked to one side. “Is that what you’re calling the pair of them?”

Gray grinned and put an arm around Juvia, who was blushing profusely. “ Yeah, she came up with those names the other day. Pretty cute, huh? She’s damn clever.” 

“Oh Gray darling, stop!” Juvia said with a giggle, her cheeks flushed. “They’re a famous couple from ancient literature. I read their story in a book I borrowed from Levy-chan.”

Mr. Weetz chuckled and nodded his head. “Yes, the names are lovely. I’ll be sure to address them correctly,” he said gently, smiling at Juvia. A short distance away, Anais was ordering the animal tenders around as though they were her own hired help. Weetz just chuckled again and shook his head. “Good ol’ Anais is as spry as ever, I see.”

Gray grimaced, but Juvia laughed. “Yes, she is quite the character,” the water mage agreed. 

“Ey you bunch o’whippersnappers! Listen here!” they heard her call out. There was a moment of silence and then the three laughed together. 

“And I promise you Miss Lockser, Daphnis and Chloe and their eggs will be perfectly safe. I’ll see to that myself,” Weetz said. 

“How are you gonna make sure no one goes after them again?” Gray asked, glancing over at the Strix as they were being loaded. 

“Oh, they will be registered as endangered species. Their species has been unseen for so long that they were believed to be a myth! I’ve already started the paperwork to have them government protected. We’ll be stopping in Crocus along the train route, and I can acquire the royal seal there,” Weetz explained. “When I mentioned that I was assisting Fairy Tail wizards, they made a rush job out of it. The papers are all waiting for me to sign and get stamped!”

“Oh goodness, that’s such a relief! We really do appreciate your help, Mr. Weetz,” Juvia said warmly, smiling at him. 

“Yeah Weetz, you’re not a bad guy. I don’t even mind ya name droppin’ us to the king,” Gray kidded with a chuckle. 

“My pleasure! I appreciate you trusting me to take care of your avian friends!” Weetz said happily. “Speaking of which, I best make sure everything is going smoothly.” 

Mr. Weetz excused himself and called out to one of the attendants. Gray and Juvia waited for Ms. Willowberry to be through, standing patiently off to the side of the whole scene. Given that it was very late at night, there were no other townspeople out and about. They were attempting to ship out the Glacies Strix without anyone knowing. By the time the mayor found out, the Strix and their eggs would be well on their way back home. 

.xxx.

After the Strix had been properly loaded, Juvia took the opportunity to say goodbye to her friends. She seemed sad to see them go, but she also knew it was for the best. Gray was glad he was able to help these magnificent creatures. He had never been a huge animal guy, but these birds were definitely no standard animals. And it was a personal rule of his to not let anyone suffer on his watch. 

After the train pulled away from the station and was out of their range of sight, the pair of mages helped Anais back to her home. Jasmine offered to bring them back to town in the small cart that was pulled by her own horse. 

“Lollie doesn’t mind, honest! She’s a hard worker, and strong too!” Jasmine assured them. 

After they arrived at the small stable connected to the inn, Gray and Juvia ducked out the back.This was so no one saw them with Jasmine. They didn’t want any blame to fall on the young wizard. She was their friend and it was up to them to protect her and her reputation. The two looped around a couple blocks before heading back to the inn. When they finally arrived back at the front of the property, Jasmine was nowhere to be seen. They quietly slipped inside and up to their room. It was only when their door was tightly shut and a protective enchantment was cast that Gray felt comfortable speaking of recent events. 

“Juves, something’s on my mind, and I don’t want to let it fester,” Gray said darkly, peeking out the window. 

Juvia looked at him, her head tilted to one side. “What is it darling?”

Gray sat on the edge of the bed, and Juvia sat next to him. “I’ve been thinking about that Ojo guy. You heard what Anais said about him. I know you think he’s an okay guy, but I’m not buying it.”

Juvia frowned and nodded. “You’re right. It seems it was all an act. I was hoping that he wasn’t in on this whole ordeal, but alas, it seems he is. I’ll trust you to confront him. I’ll say my piece when the time comes, but until then, I’ll step back.”

Gray blinked several times, baffled. He was sure it was going to take time to convince her to see things his way, but boy was he ever wrong. “Wow, uh. Okay. Thanks Juves. It means a lot that you trust me with this.” 

Juvia nodded and smiled. “Of course I do, darling. After all, your life was threatened! What kind of girl- um, what kind of person would I be if I stood in your way of seeking justice?”

Gray couldn’t help but grin. “What was that you started to say? What kind of girl would you be?”

Juvia blushed profusely. “G-g-..girlfriend,” Juvia stammered. Gray smiled and reached to stroke her cheek with his thumb. 

“You’re an awesome girlfriend, and I’m glad you trust me,” he said with a grin. He leaned in and captured her lips with his own, kissing her soundly for several moments. 

“With my life,” Juvia said breathlessly as they parted. 

Soon after they laid in bed together, cuddled close as the moonlight poured in through the open window. Juvia smiled sleepily as she laid her head on Gray’s chest, his arm tight around her, pulling her close to him. For the first time in a long time, she felt completely at peace. 

xxx

After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast courtesy of Mrs. Campbell, who had warmed up to Gray considerably in the last couple of days. Ever since she found out that he teamed up with Juvia to help save their town, she no longer saw him as an outsider, but a friend. She had been more than happy to serve them when they turned up in the dining room. 

“Are you sure you’ve had enough dear?” Mrs. Campbell asked Gray, holding a platter of fresh pancakes, ready to serve him up another helping.

“Yes, Mrs. Campbell, I’ve definitely had enough. Thank you for your hospitality,” Gray insisted, holding his hands up. He looked to Juvia, slightly panicked.

“Thank you Mrs. C., you’ve been absolutely delightful. We really appreciate the meal. Once again, you’ve outdone yourself!” Juvia gushed, taking a final sip of tea. Now that she wasn’t being coerced or tricked, she could enjoy the wonders of Mrs. Campbell’s special tea brews. “I have to say again, this tea is divine!”

“Ah, just takes a little magic,” Mrs. Campbell said with a wink as she gathered their empty plates. Juvia gaped at her, unsure of what to say. With that the motherly woman swept off back to the kitchens. 

Gray and Juvia looked at each other.

”Did she just…?” Gray said.

“I don’t know.. You think?” Juvia said, mouth still partially slack, her eyes wide.

“Maybe...would make sense I guess,” Gray shrugged. 

“Well I guess Jasmine gets it from both sides then!” Juvia whispered with a smile. 

A short while later they hitched a ride to the outskirts of town, toward the Mayor’s house. The owner of the general store was kind enough to have his son ride them out that way. When they were close enough, the two got down from the back of the wagon and thanked the shopkeeper’s son. Gray reached for Juvia’s hand and laced his fingers between hers, pulling her closer to him. She smiled in kind and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze. 

As they turned up the drive of the Mayor’s mansion, Gray took notice of all the greenery on the property. For a town suffering from an extended drought, this place sure was in full bloom. And it wasn’t the usual desert landscape of creosote bushes, sage brush, and tall cacti. There was real, live grass, and rolling hills of it no less! Tall trees lined a full garden where he noticed a fountain running, water pouring from various angel figures. It was pretty ridiculous considering the state of the town. It seemed that Juvia shared his ill sentiments of the Mayor.

“Romsdale is a water-hoarding, no account, lying sack of vulcan droppings! Now darling, please be sure to let me speak. I’d like to share a piece of my mind with that jerk!” she said sternly, and Gray nodded, trying not to smirk at her choice of words. There was no way he was getting in her way today. He knew better by now. 

A few moments later the door opened and they were greeted by Mrs. Hanover. As per usual she was curt and proper with them, cooly instructing them to have a seat in the Mayor’s den. Gray was already on edge being on the enemy’s turf, and having to sit and wait only made it worse. After several minutes, he grew even more antsy and began pacing the floor. What if Romsdale tried to sneak out the back to avoid them? He wouldn’t put it past the jerk. There was no way he would let that rat mayor get away with that. His mind raced with all the possible ways the Mayor might try to give them the slip. 

“Gray darling, please sit down! You’re making me so nervous!” Juvia whispered fiercely and snapped her fingers at him. He stared at her dumbly for a moment, stunned by her commands. He was used to a passive, subservient Juvia that hung on his every word. This Juvia was kind of bossy, a little forceful. He liked it. He quickly sat down next to her. 

“Sorry. Just tense,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t trust this guy.”

Before Gray could continue they were interrupted by a familiarly booming voice. “Well if it ain’t the wizards of Fairy Tail. Miss Lockser, Mr. Fullbuster pleasure to see y'all again,” said Romsdale. His tone was all too artificial, and neither of them were buying it. “I suppose you’ve come to resign. Quite alright, tough job after all. Afraid we can’t pay you, however, seeing as the job wasn’t done to my specifications. You understand, I’m sure. Business and all.” He stood there, grinning at them proudly, thumbs pulling at his suspender straps. Gray glanced sidelong at Juvia and noticed the deadpan expression on her face. Wuh oh. 

“On the contrary Mayor Romsdale, we have not only solved the mystery, but also remedied the immediate problem,” Juvia said cooly, rising to her feet. 

Romsdale went on as though he hadn’t heard a word she said. “Ah, yes. I understand my dear, like I- wait, what did you say?” Now he was standing there, looking completely dumbfounded and stupid with surprise. It took everything Gray had not to burst out laughing. 

“Yes, we were able to identify the creatures in the mines and they are a rare breed of bird called the Glacies Strix. Not that I need to tell you that. Or did you even bother to learn about those poor animals when you imprisoned them?” As she spoke, her tone gained more edge, the emotion rising up within her. 

“Why I have no idea what you’re talking about, Miss Lockser! How would I know what horrors lurk in those old haunted mines?!” Romsdale stammered, nervously adjusting his tie and looking around the room. There was no way Gray was going to let him get away. Standing up and rounding the coffee table, Gray put himself between the Mayor and the door. 

“Can the innocent act, Romsdale. We already know it was you. And we have proof,” Gray said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. Romsdale’s head whipped up as he looked at Gray.

“What are you talking about?” he asked severely, taking a step toward Gray. “You have nothing. You’re bluffing!” 

“We have it on very good authority that you arranged to have those creatures put down into those caverns in order to freeze over the town’s water supply,” Juvia said, putting her hands on her hips. “And all to pull some scam in order to get government funding! Shame on you, Mayor Romsdale!”

“Now you just wait a minute here, Miss Lockser! Who do you think you are, going around accusing people on matters you have no idea on?” Romsdale said with a deep scowl. “I’ve had just about enough of your games. You Fairy Tail wizards, think you’re so clever. Well I have news for you. This ends here!” Romsdale turned toward Gray, now brandishing a pistol. Gray stepped back and then glanced at Juvia. 

“How dare you point that weapon at my darling Gray!” Juvia yelled, now fuming. “Water whip!” With a slight movement of her hands, she manipulated the stream of water and used it to knock the pistol from Romsdale’s hands. He cried out, flailing as he fell backward.

“Ice-make CAGE!” Gray called out, dropping an ice cage over Romsdale. “There, now you can do some time behind icy bars.”

“Bout damn time, you whippersnappers!” cried a familiar gravelly voice. Anais appeared suddenly, her wild gray locks pulled out of her face, her violet eyes shining. 

“Auntie!” gasped Romsdale. “What are you doing here you old bat?!”

“You hush up, you sneaky ol’ rat! I got testimonials and first hand witness accounts of your dirty dealings, mister! Tis a darn shame. Your Ma would be so disappointed,” Anais tutted, shaking her head. 

“You leave my dear old Mama out of this!” Romsdale barked, gripping the bars of the cage. “You let me out of here right now! You can’t prove a damn thing!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Mayor,” came another familiar voice. Then quite suddenly, Jack appeared, holding a large stack of paperwork. “I’ve got your paper trail right here.”

“How are they doin’ that?” Gray said incredulously, scratching the back of his head.

“Concealment spell, sonny. Oldest trick in the book. Well, next to turning wine into water. That’s a might older. But whooooeeee is that a good ‘un to pull a prank with!” Anais said quickly, chuckling to herself. “Anyway, we got plenty o’ information and whatnot about you and your dastardly dealins’ nephew dear!”

“How did you gain access to that information?” demanded Romsdale.

“You seem to have forgotten that I was elected city treasurer last year, Mayor. So I have access to all important information connected to where the city’s money is spent, and I have enough evidence to convict you for twenty years or more!” 

Romsdale’s face fell as he went sheet white. “You wouldn’t!”

“To save this town? Oh, but we would!” Jack said firmly, a hint of anger in his voice. “You’ve done enough damage to the fine folks of this settlement!”

“I was doing it help the town!” Romsdale cried, falling to his knees. “I swear, I just wanted to make it a better place!”

“You mean you wanted to make a buck off unsuspecting travelers! We know about the glamour spells you have in place! Not to mention all the hokey feel-good charms cast on every joint in this one horse town,” Gray said flatly. 

“And you ruined the entire water system just to get money from the king! That could be seen as treason!” Juvia added, shaking her head. 

“I swear to you ya’ll, I just wanted to make Montil a bustling, thriving, must-see destination, and even see it grow for once!” Romsdale explained, practically in tears. His tough guy exterior seemed to have all, but melted away. “You have to believe me!”

Juvia stepped forward. “If that was all you wanted to do, then why did you threaten my dear love’s life?” she demanded, fists clenched. 

“I acted rashly, Miss Lockser, I can admit that now,” the Mayor relented, head hanging. “I swindled the poor folks of this town, and I tricked you as well. I admit my guilt! Please have mercy on me!”

“It won’t be up to them, Romsdale,” came the familiarly cool and curt voice of Mrs. Hanover. “That judgement will lay with the Magical Regulations Task Force. All we needed was to hear a full confession.” 

Everyone stood gape mouthed and speechless for several moments before Mrs. Hanover continued on. “Yesirree, I’ve been staking out this case for years now, tracking your dealings with unregulated foriegn water sources, illegal hunting, capture, transport, possession and detainment of a magical endangered species, purchase of stolen goods with intent to swindle a third party, and the list goes on. That doesn’t even cover all the charges outside our jurisdiction! Why the king might have your head for lying and cheating the good folks on Montil all these many years!”

“Well I been hornswoggled! You mean all these here years o’lookin’ down yer nose at folks was just a big front to catch ol’ fancy pants here in the act?” Ms. Willowberry quipped, lifting her bangs out of her eyes to get a good look at Mrs. Hanover.

“That’s right, m’am. Just playing the role of an uptight housekeeper. All part of the job,” Mrs. Hanover said firmly with a nod.

“Well I’ll be! You crazy ol’ whippersnapper!” Ms. Willowberry cackled, repeatedly smacking her thigh. Gray and Juvia made eye contact and couldn’t help but start laughing themselves. Soon most of the room was chuckling, sans a weeping Mayor Romsdale. 

As soon as Romsdale had been dealt with and carted away, Jack took on the leadership role and started to delegate responsibilities in the town. Later that very same day, a spur of the moment town meeting was called and it seemed like everyone in Montil was packed into the meeting hall at the community center. The crowd was abuzz with chatter about recent happenings, everyone wondering just what the real story was. Jack approached the podium and held his hands up.

“Now, now folks, let’s have some quiet. I’ve got some things to tell y'all,” Jack said loudly, pounding a fist on the podium. The chatter quieted to a faint murmur as everyone turned their attention to Jack. “That’s more like it. As most of you might of heard by now, there have been some nefarious dealings going on in this here town. With the help of my good friends Miss Juvia Lockser and Mr. Gray Fullbuster, we were able to smoke out that varmint Romsdale and get him out of power. The proper authorities have taken him into custody, so he’s no longer our problem. Our new friends here have agreed to bring in some extra forces to help in the process of restoring our great town. Now I would like to give the floor to Miss Juvia Lockser.” 

Juvia stood up and went to the front of the hall, taking her place behind the podium. The citizens of Montil looked upon her with great curiosity. Though she had been in the town for a short time, it seemed that she had already built up quite the reputation. She only hoped she could live up to their expectations. It wasn’t about the recognition and rewards. She had committed herself to this job and helping the town. It was up to her to do the best she could manage. And part of that was knowing that she would need a little help from her friends.

“Hello everyone. It’s nice to see so many familiar faces. I just want you all to know that I’m so happy I’ve been able to help here, but the job is far from over. I’ve called on my fellow guildmates from Fairy Tail to come help us restore your town. Several of our friends will arrive tomorrow and spend the next week along with me and Gray as we work to implement a new water system and repair your existing waterways. King Toma has sent word that the town’s application for funds to rebuild the town has been approved. We hope to make Montil the best it can be!” 

A roar rose up from the crowd as they cheered for Juvia after her speech. She was taken back by the thunderous applause, whistles and cheers. She glanced at Gray and he was beaming, a grin spread from ear to ear. Juvia’s cheeks flushed as she noticed that Gray too was applauding her. 

Shortly after the town meeting when everyone had dispersed, Gray pulled Juvia aside. “First of all, I’m really proud of you Juvia. You’ve really stepped up and taken charge here. But there’s still something we have to deal with.”

Juvia tilted her head to one side and looked at him for a moment. “Well I know we still have a great deal of work to do, but what exactly are you referring to?”

“A certain big hulking redneck that was sent to do me in?” Gray said with his eyebrows raised. 

“Oh my, Ojo! You’re right, Gray darling. We do need to address that matter right away!” Juvia said quickly, taking hold of Gray’s arm.

“You don’t have to worry about him,” came the voice of Jack. The couple turned around and saw the old timer approaching. “I had a few of the boys round him up, and he came peaceful like. He’s going to be spending a bit of time in the county lock up and doing community service. I know that might not seem like enough to you, but I promise you that Ojo is good people. He just got mixed up in his uncle’s dirty dealings. And he’s going to work to straighten himself out.”

Gray frowned but then gave a firm nod. “Alright, so long as he’s going to get his act together. It’s a waste when a good person goes bad.”

Juvia smiled and took Gray’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. He looked back at her and smiled a bit, giving her a sly wink. She blushed profusely, still not used to his affectionate behaviors. It seemed that everything was coming together quite well, and she was happy about that. She would be able to not only finish this job, but finish it well. There was a great sense of accomplishment in taking the lead in such a situation, and she was proud of herself. And, on top of that, she and Gray were closer than ever. For the first time in a very long time, Juvia couldn’t wait to see what the next day would bring.

That evening Juvia and Gray had a quiet dinner together back at the inn. The last few days had been hectic and Juvia felt rattled by the whole experience. Gray had suggested they spend some time alone, and she was all for it. There was nothing she loved more than being alone with her darling Gray. Every moment with him felt like a dream. The way he caressed her cheek with his thumb, the way he’d lean in close and nuzzle her ear while whispering sweet nothings. And his kiss. WOW. His lips were cool to the touch and surprisingly soft. When he enveloped her in his strong arms and pressed his lips to hers, she found herself lost in a dream world. He had such passion, such warmth. For an ice wizard, he sure could get heated up. 

After a passion filled tryst under the sheets, the two laid nestled close together. As she rested her head on his chest, his heartbeat thumping in her ear, Juvia thought about how much her life had changed in this short period of time. She couldn’t help but wonder how things might change once they got back to Magnolia. But no matter what the future held, she would be ready to face it with Gray at her side.


	13. Rebuilding the Town

The next morning reinforcements from Fairy Tail arrived on the first train into the area. Juvia was elated to see that so many of her guildmates were able to come and help out. Natsu and Lucy came with Erza, Wendy and Carla. Gajeel, Levy and Pantherlily joined them as well. Another guildmate Laki Olietta came along too. Juvia was excited that she could join them, as her Wood Make magic skills would really come in handy with rebuilding parts of the town. They didn’t simply intend to fix the waterways, but to help beautify other Montil as well. The funding from the royal fund arrived the next morning as well, and was delivered straight to Jack. 

“So what needs to be on fire?” Natsu asked with a grin. 

“Natsu! You will NOT be setting anything on fire, damnit!” Lucy scolded, crossing her arms over her chest while shaking her head.

“Aw Luce, c’mon! You’re no fun!”

Juvia laughed and shook her head. “I don’t quite need you to set anything on fire, but rather I was hoping you would work with Gajeel-kun to make some new pipes for the water ways. He can manipulate the iron while you use your fire to melt it. With both your powers combined, I figured it would be the best way to get the job done!”

“You mean I have to work with ash-for-brains?” Gajeel complained, crossing his arms over his chest. Levy patted his arm and smiled at Juvia. “And ain’t no iron-make wizard!”

“Don’t worry Juvia, he’ll do it. We’re here to help you with whatever you need!” Levy said. Gajeel grumbled under his breath, but didn’t argue with his girlfriend. While small in stature, Levy was a strong wizard, and was used to corralling the Iron Dragon Slayer’s wild nature. 

“I really appreciate this, all of you! I want to do everything I can for this town!” Juvia said, clapping her hands together. “Levy-chan, I thought maybe you could help with making the metal for the pipes, and when there’s enough, I thought you could help Jack with some of the organizational tasks.”

“You got it! Sounds good!” Levy said with a smile. 

“What do you need me to do Juvia?” Lucy asked, hands on hips.

“Oh, Lucy! There’s something special we need you for. Several of the tunnels have collapsed and are preventing water from traveling through the pipes. I thought perhaps with the help of Virgo that you could dig some new pathways!”   


“No problem! I’ll equip Virgo’s stardress form and use the power to help her along with it!” Lucy said enthusiastically. 

Juvia turned to Laki. “There are buildings in the town that need extensive repairs, and I’d like to build a new community center if we can manage it.That’s where you come in, Laki!”

“You got it, Juvia! Do they need a torture chamber in the community center?” Laki asked curiously.

Juvia did her best to not look horrified, and instead laughed nervously and shook her head. “No, I don’t think so, Laki. But we’ll work out the details with the town officials to be sure.”

Erza stepped forward. “Jellal called while we were on the train, and said that he’ll be joining us tomorrow. He was on a mission from the King, but will be free to help us after that. So you can count on an extra pair of hands,” she said. 

“That’s great! We can always use an extra set of hands. I really appreciate all of you coming to help. I can’t say it enough!” Juvia said, a little misty eyed. The emotion was welling up inside of her as she looked at all of her friends willing and eager to help. It meant so much to her. At one time these people had been her supposed enemies, and now they were her family. It was amazing how time could change things.

Gray stepped up and took Juvia’s hand, lacing his fingers through her own. Juvia looked at him, a bit surprised. She wasn’t sure what he was up to, but everyone had quickly taken notice of his actions.

“So uh...guys, there’s something you all should know,”Gray piped up, clearing his throat. “Since we’ve been here, there’s been some changes. Juvia and I...we’re together now. Like, a couple.”

Juvia couldn’t hold it in any longer and began to cry. She couldn’t believe that he had made such an announcement. She never dreamed that he would make it official in such a way. It made her so happy and quelled any lingering doubts she may have had buried in her subconscious. 

“Alright! About time!” Lucy cheered, giving Juvia a wink, causing the water mage to blush profusely.

“Oh, that’s so great! I’m happy for you guys!” chimed in Wendy.

“My condolences, Juvia,” Natsu said and Gray grimaced.

“Can it, fire boy,” Gray said through clenched teeth. 

“Ah calm down ice princess. I’m just kiddin’,” Natsu said, waving him off dismissively. 

“We’re not here to fight. We’re here to help Juvia on her job,” Erza said firmly and that put an end to dispute. The requip mage then turned back to her with a smile. “Juvia, congratulations. I’m happy for you both.”

“Thank you, Erza. That means a lot,” Juvia said, grinning from ear to ear. She gave Gray a little nudge. 

“Oh uh, yeah. Thanks Erza,” Gray said hastily, his cheeks flushing lightly. 

“So now that we’ve handled that, let’s all split into our teams and get to work!” Erza said loudly, waving her arm in a forward motion.

Juvia beamed as she saw her friends jump into action to start repairing the town. Sometimes she could hardly believe that she belonged to such a great guild and had such a wonderful family to go with it. Every member was a strange character in their own way, but everyone fit together perfectly. And when it really mattered, they were always there for one another. Years ago, she had been their enemy and fought against them with Phantom Lord, but those days were long gone. Her heart belonged to Fairy Tail forevermore, and nothing could change that. Just then she felt a hand slip into hers and looked up to find Gray smiling at her. 

“You ready to get some stuff done?” he asked, giving her a little nudge.

“Yes, most definitely! Let’s get to work, darling!” she gushed, giving his hand a squeeze. 

They set off to join their friends in the efforts to rebuild the town. Fairy Tail was determined to turn this place around and make it an inhabitable place for all the residents. They worked tirelessly through the days, bringing Montil into a new age of agricultural prosperity. Once the new waterways were built, and a new system of pipes had been laid, the town was able to draw ample water from the aqueduct below the town. Within less than a week, the entire town had running water thanks to the Fairy Tail team. Juvia helped the local farmers to route irrigation paths that would allow their crops to be easily watered. Levy made a call back to Fairy Tail and asked Droy to join them in Montil so that he might help the farmers get a headstart on their crops since it was a bit late in the season. One by one, the bricks went into place, building a foundation like Montil had never known.

***

After two weeks of hard work by everyone involved, Montil was almost unrecognizable. Once the glamour charms had worn off, the buildings had begun to show their true age. But now everything had been patched and painted, leaving the entire town looking fresh and clean. Even the people were happier with a pleasant glow about them. They had managed to build a large community center like Juvia had hoped for and that meant that the youth of the town would have a place to convene. And she hoped that it would be a place that young wizards could find the beginnings of their magic studies. And there were plants! And trees! Seeing so much green in town almost made Juvia’s head spin, but she was so happy to see flowers blooming in the beds outside the Inn. 

Before the members of Fairy Tail left town, Jack was officially elected the new mayor of Montil by a unanimous vote. Everyone felt he was the one who should have been running the town all along, and it was high time that he take his place as the town’s leader. Juvia and Gray both agreed that there was no better man for the job, and were happy to congratulate Jack on his newfound position. He accepted the post humbly, and promised to do his very best for Montil. No one doubted he would do exactly that, and that he would stay true to his word. 

The Fairy Tail wizards refused payment, claiming that the entire venture had been a goodwill mission. Jack tried to convince Juvia to take some kind of payment, and finally after a great deal of convincing, they at least agreed to let the town fund pay for their train tickets home. And every member of Fairy Tail was invited to come stay in Montil free of charge whenever they pleased. The night before they left back to Magnolia, the citizens threw them a huge going away party in the town square. There was music, dancing, food, libations, and a whole lot of fun. Toward the end of the night, Jack got up on stage in front of the microphone and banged together a couple of tin pots to get everyone’s attention. 

“Listen up ya’ll! I got something to say!” Jack roared and everyone fell quiet in an instant. “Now that’s more like it. Anyway, I just want to propose a toast to the damn greatest bunch of wizards I’ve ever known! To Fairy Tail!” A round of raucous cheers, whistles and applause came from the crowd, everyone banging their goblets and mugs together with fervor. It was one hell of a party that went on until well after sundown. 

Early the next morning most of the guild members piled into coaches that would take them to the train station. Juvia and Gray stayed behind, planning to leave the following day. She wanted time to say her goodbyes and make sure that everything was in order before they left. Gray had also suggested that it might be nice for them to enjoy the town for a day without their rowdy guildmates in tow. They had barely had a moment alone together in the last couple of weeks, and even the spare moments they had managed to get were fleeting at best. And most importantly, Juvia had someone special to thank. After breakfast, she approached Jasmine and her mother in the front lobby.

“Mornin’ Miss Juvia!” Jasmine chirped, grinning from ear to ear. “You sure do look nice today!”

Juvia glanced down at her usual blue duds and smiled a little. “Thank you, Jasmine. You’re so sweet.”

“Is there anything we can do for you folks today?” Mrs. Campbell asked with a smile.

“Actually, there is,” Juvia said and turned to Jasmine. “Do you think you could take Gray and I out to see Miss Willowberry? I’d like to thank her before we go.” 

Jasmine looked to her mother. “May I Mama?? I promise I’ll come back straight away when we’re through!”

Mrs. Campbell chuckled. “You go on ahead, dear. I’ll look after this place. Be sure to do any chores old Anais needs done. And you find out a new batch of exercises for your magic lessons! I don’t want you falling behind!” 

Jasmine beamed and looked back to Juvia. “I’ll pull around the cart! Meet you out front in five minutes, Miss Juvia!” And with that the girl was off like a dart. Goodness, she certainly could move quickly. 

A short time later, Gray and Juvia were riding in the back of the old cart on the long ride to Miss Willowberry’s home. They got down from the cart, and while Jasmine tended to her horse, they walked to the front door. Suddenly, a couple dozen crows were bombarding them like mad, cawing up a storm. Juvia cried out as Gray tried to shield her, cursing under his breath.But they kept coming, one after another, pecking and grabbing at their clothes. Suddenly the front door opened with a sharp snap.

“I don’t want none o’yer wares, evil salesmen! Begone with yeh!” Anais croaked loudly. Juvia attempted to find her voice, but could only let out a little yelp. The old woman lifted part of her shaggy bangs and eyed them critically. After a moment, a flash of recognition crossed her face. “Oh for land’s sake! CORVUS IMPEDIUM!” And then just as suddenly as they had started, the crows ceased attacking. The entire murder returned to their perches in a nearby oak tree, docile as can be.

“What the HELL was THAT about?!” Gray demanded, sounding rather cross.

“Ah, ma watch crows! They keep away the riff raff!” she said proudly with hands on hips and a gap toothed grin.

“We’ll we’re not riff raff, thanks,” Gray grumbled, picking a feather out of his hair. 

“Yeh might be! Couple o’strangers. How do I know yer not out ter sell me somethin’ hm?” Anais said critically, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“What?! You already know who-” Gray began, incredulously, but Juvia cut in.

“Darling, I’m sure Miss WIllowberry knows who we are,” Juvia said sweetly, smiling at Anais.

“Course I do! Jus’ gettin’ yer goat, ice wizard! Sure is easy to ruffle those feathers! Ya ol’ whippersnapper!” Anais began to cackle, slapping her knee.

“We just wanted to come by to say goodbye,” Juvia broke in nervously, catching a glimpse of Gray’s scowl out of the corner of her eye.

“Well don’t jus’ stand there! C’mon in!” Anais said, turning and quickly disappearing into her ramshackled cottage. 

They followed her inside and found the entire place filled with smoke, only there was a heavy perfumed scent to it. It was so potent that Juvia’s head began to spin. The room suddenly tilted to one side, and she found herself unable to remain on her feet. Before she knew it, she had gone limp, feeling as though she might pass out.

“Oh goodness, I feel so woozy.” she murmured, leaning her weight against Gray.

He quickly caught her and helped her over to a nearby stool. Anais appeared from within i

the fog, waving a burning smudge stick around like mad, muttering to herself. 

“What the hell is that? It’s making Juvia sick!” he said helplessly, panic rising in his voice as he tried to help Juvia into a nearby.

“Ah, ain’t nothin’ that’s going ter harm her, sonny,” Anais said, waving him off before setting the smudge down in a dish. “Just some Alakatasian sweet sage. Helps get rid of mayflies. Open that window over there!” 

Gray moved quickly and opened the window, and then returned to Juvia’s side. He was holding her steady as she wavered on the stool. “You sure about that? She doesn’t look so hot,” he said, sounding worried. 

“Here, give her this,” Anais said, pouring some bright green liquid into a small glass. “Sometimes water wizards are a might sensitive to the smell.” 

“Here babe, drink this,” he prompted, holding it up to her lips. Juvia took in the liquid, finding it surprisingly cool and refreshing. It tasted quite a bit like watermelon. Almost instantly the dizziness subsided and she felt wonderful.

“Wow, that was amazing! What was that, Miss Willowberry?” Juvia asked, head cocked to one side.

“Old remedy for motion sickness,” Anais said simply, grinning at her.

“Oh goodness. We have a few friends that could use something like that!” Juvia said. 

“Them dragonslayers? Yep, I had old Jack give the celestial wizard a few doses to help them on the train ride back ter Magnolia.” Anais said simply, crossing her arms over her chest. “Funny ones, them dragonslayers.”

“You disappeared before we really had a chance to thank you for everything,” Juvia began. “If it hadn’t been for you, we would have never been able to stop Mayor Romsdale- er excuse me, former Mayor.”

“Ah ain’t nothin’ ter it, girl, You whippersnappers needed an ol’ pro, and those poor birds ain’t done nothin’ ter harm nobody. Innocent victims, they were,” Anais said simply with a solemn nod. 

“Yeah, well, all the same, thanks. We really do appreciate it,” Gray said with unwavering sincerity. “You’re a real smart cookie, Anais.”

“Well, ‘course I am sonny! Ain’t lived this long by bein’ a dummy!” Anais said with a chuckle. 

Just then, Jasmine appeared in the doorway with a tray of tea and cookies. They visited with Anais for a long while before being ushered out because she had work to do. 

“Thank you again, Miss Willowberry! We’ll be back to visit!” Juvia said, waving to her again as they began to pull away in the cart. 

“Take care Anais!” Gray called with a wave. The old woman waved at them for a moment before disappearing into her house again.

“She ain’t one for long goodbyes,” Jasmine called back to them with a smile. 

Later that evening the couple dined at Miss Saidy’s and were treated like royalty. They were greeted with a round of applause when they entered the restaurant, leaving Juvia with her cheeks brightly flushed as they got to their table. Miss Saidy insisted that they have all the best of the menu and wouldn’t take no for an answer when she brought them a bottle of wine she had been saving for a special occasion. Juvia certainly didn’t expect such continued reverence from the townsfolk, but she was very glad that she had made them all so happy. At the end of the night, their money was once again refused, and they went home with a fresh baked cherry pie. 

That night before laying down to sleep, they packed up all of their belongings. This room had served as their home for nearly a month, and it made Juvia a touch sad to leave it. She really liked Montil and the townsfolk. They would certainly be back to visit, and that thought alone made her feel a bit more at ease. She really hoped that Daphnis and Chloe were alright, too. Those poor dears had been moving here and there, trapped in those tunnels for who knows how long. Juvia knew Mr. Weetz would take good care of them. Maybe they could take a trip north one day to visit the Glacies Strix. 

“You ready for some shut eye?” Gray asked her warmly, stepping closer to her and rubbing a hand over the small of her back.

Juvia looked up, gasping. She had been deep in thought and spaced out while folding the last of her clothing to put away in her bag. “Oh, yes darling, I am. Sorry, just thinking.”

“You okay?” Gray asked, peering at her.

She smiled. “Yes dear, I’m fine. Let’s get to bed. Early day tomorrow!”

They settled into bed, Gray spooning Juvia from behind and pulling her close to him. She smiled as she felt his arm around her, the coolness of his body soothing. As she laid there, she thought again about how much things had changed in the last month of her life. It really was astounding when she thought about it. It had surely been a whirlwind experience, and her head was still spinning a little. She wondered how it would be when they got home. Would she and Gray date for awhile or maybe eventually move in together? Would they court for years to come or maybe even one day marry? Her heart fluttered at the thought of being Mrs. Gray Fullbuster. Well, maybe she would be Juvia Lockser-Fullbuster. She wasn’t some old fashion bitty, after all. She giggled silently to herself as she felt sleep begin to claim her. 

***

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast and some of Mrs. Campbell’s tea, they readied to load into a carriage to be taken to the train station. Juvia did her best to keep her emotions in check, but quickly betrayed herself when she saw Jasmine welling up.

“Oh please don’t go, Miss Juvia!” the girl cried, flinging herself at the water mage. 

“Jasmine! For heaven’s sake, get a hold of yourself!” Mrs. Campbell cried, shaking her head. “I’m sorry Miss Lockser, she’s the emotional sort.”

“It’s alright. I can be rather emotional myself,”Juvia said, smiling as she hugged the girl back, patting her gently. “We’ll be back to visit Jasmine, I promise!”

“Yeah, we’ll be back in time for the big Harvest festival in the fall,” Gray said with an easy smile. 

“Long as you promise!” Jasmine said, wiping a tear from her eye. 

“Pinky promise,” Gray said with a chuckle, and offered her his pinky. She laughed and hooked it with her own. Juvia stepped forward and wrapped her own around the other two.

“Double pinky promise!” Juvia cheered and they all began to laugh. 

Soon after Gray and Juvia were in the carriage, on the way to the train station. They lounged together in the riding compartment, as it was rather spacious. They had a lengthy trip ahead of them, but soon enough they would be back in Magnolia. And then it would be back to life as usual… only with a few changes. Juvia glanced down at her hand. Gray had threaded his fingers through her own and was lazily stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. She smiled. Yes, a few changes. A few wonderful, happy changes.


End file.
